Castlevania: Orphan of Light
by CielCadet
Summary: The Crusades have made the Belmont clan's fight against Dracula hard. It's 1206 AD and the Fourth Crusade has ended. Christiano, a Venetian adopted by the Belmont clan, must go in place of his old, sick friend, Noah Belmont, to defeat the world of Dracula, whose castle has sprung from cursed lands of Milan. WARNING: Homosexual relationships. Mildly mature language and violence.
1. Prelude

_It was 1206 AD, and Europe's Fourth Crusade had just ended. The people of Venice had begun to settle down after their men survived their attack on Constantinople and returned home to their families. Some had decided to remain in the once Byzantine capital, but Christiano Veneziano, a young man of twenty-five, returned home to his empty mansion. During the war, his parents had both died from some mysterious disease that the doctor had called "The Black Death." The doctor had only seen a couple of cases once before. Christiano met with the doctor once he returned from the war and was told that a fortune teller had said to him that the men who returned from the war were cursed that the punishment would be the Black Death… but the doctor only joked about this and gave Christiano his condolences._

 _It was the evening when Christiano had just sat down from dinner when he heard a knock at his door. He thought it was strange that someone had come to his home at this hour. He got up from his table and went to the front door. One of his servants told him that they heard the knock and had yet to open the door. Christiano opened the door to see that a letter with a red, wax stamp was on the ground. He picked up the letter and looked around, wondering who had delivered this letter; surely, the stamp would tell. Christiano returned to his dinner table and opened the letter, unable to recognize the stamp. He began reading the letter. He gasped. The letter had come from one of his friends he had made during the war, Noah Belmont, from what would later become Vienna, Austria._

" _I have become bedridden, my friend, and I need you to visit me right away. The season is in our favor—the kindness of late Spring—so I am hoping you may travel North in good health."_

 _Noah's ancestors had fought during the earlier Crusades, Noah following in the tradition. He fought back-to-back with Christiano, saving his life during one battle. Christiano could not help but to accept his invitation._

 _He would make his way to Vienna to see his friend, taking the first steps towards his fate._


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Beast of the Night

Christiano was a handsome man. He had a fair complexion, indicating that he was a man of higher class that didn't work for a living in the sun. He had long, wavy light blonde hair that appeared soft. He had an intense pair of chocolate brown eyes. He played the harp, giving him strong fingers. He also made red wine for a living, his Moor servants working the vineyard; he was always kind to them, especially since his parents' passing. His wines were then transported further into the city of Venice and were quite popular among the elite. He lived a generally peaceful life, playing the harp in his spare time…

He headed to "Vienna" by carriage, which took him a little over a week. Earlier in the trip, he passed by white beaches before heading further into lush forests of "Austria." The carriage would soon head down a private road in the woods, the sun setting. The driver stopped as their surroundings began to fade into black.

"You will have to continue on foot. The road is not for a tired horse," he said, lying. Christiano exited the carriage, and holding nothing but a leather sack around his waist, ventured forth into the darkness…

Suddenly, he heard a growl, making him halt. His breath fell silent. The last of the day's light cast itself on the path, revealing that something was walking towards him. What was it? Some slender thing on all fours? Was it a wolf? Just then, the sun revealed a panther. Christiano looked confused. What was this feline? The panther, black as midnight, sat there, staring at him. Christiano didn't know what to do. If he ran, the beast would surely go after him. Was it better to just stay still? The panther then turned away and began to walk down the path. What was he going to do? The Belmont Manor was up ahead. The sun was setting; he believed that no matter where he went, there was something ungodly about the night.

He would have to follow this beast. He would walk forward, the panther stopping every once and a while to look back at him. Was he being _led_ to the manor? Was this creature something evil? He had to get to the manor.

The panther climbed up the stairs to the front door and sat down on the porch. Christiano froze. Now what?...

Suddenly, a servant opened the front door. The beast rushed inside. Why didn't the servant react? Was this the family pet?

Once he identified himself, showing the servant the letter he had received, he was led to Noah Belmont's bedroom. He was also a young man, not a day older than twenty-five. He was lying in bed, pale like a ghost. His hair was unruly and short and black like the panther he had seen before. His eyes were also dark like ash. He smiled weakly at Christiano.

"Welcome, my friend. I am sorry that you must see me like this. I used to look so strong, no?"

"Yes… but it is quite alright. What has your doctor told you?" Christiano asked, kneeling by his bedside.

"Some kind of illness that stops the bones from moving… He says that someday, I may not be able to move at all. I'm afraid my days in town are limited…" Noah said.

"Don't say such a thing! You could make a recovery!" Christiano cried.

"No, not this time. You see, a fortune teller once told me, in Constantinople, that we would all be cursed for the things we had done to the land. She said we had 'soaked it in blood,' and that we would 'pay every single drop back,'" Noah went on.

"I'm beginning to believe in the words of these fortune tellers. My own doctor heard from one who practically said the same thing about my parents' death—except they died from something that the doctor called the 'Black Death,'" Christiano said.

"It has been a year, hasn't it?"

"Yes, it has," Christiano said, his eyes falling.

"Do not despair. God is watching us," Noah replied.

"So, is your fear the reason as to why you have invited me to your home?" Christiano said, looking up at him again.

"Well… Yes, and no." Suddenly, the panther entered the room, sitting at the door. Christiano pointed at it.

"That thing! What is that?!" he cried.

"It is my pet. It is called a 'panther.' It is from south of Egypt. This beast appeared to me in the night once…" Noah replied.

"Is it a devil that plagues you?" Christiano asked.

"No. It is my pet. I was having a nightmare and there he was, staring at me from the corner of my bed. He seemed to follow me everywhere. Once, I took him to the market place—the one with all of the peaceful Christian Moors—and they told me that it was a 'panther,' but that it appeared because I needed protection."

"So very strange…" Christiano said, his arm lowering. The panther walked up to the bed, Noah reaching down to pet him.

"I named him Virgil."

"Such a strange name as well! Isn't it Italian?"

"I heard it in that dream I had. It was fate," Noah replied, shakily scratching the top of his head. Virgil began to purr.

"It is like a large cat…" Christiano said, listening to the sound of Virgil's purring.

"Yes, and just as graceful, able to condense itself in the tightest of spaces and perch in the high branches of my trees…" Noah said, smiling.

"So, why have you summoned me, Noah?" Christiano asked.

"Because there is something you need to do."

"'Need to do?' And what could that be?"

"Go to the cursed lands, south, in Milan."

"Why would you send me to such a place?" Christiano said, looking a tad frustrated.

"Because that is where the castle of Dracula will rise."

"'Dracula?' You told me that your ancestors used to fight such a devil. To be honest with you, I never thought these stories you told me were of truth," Christiano admitted. Noah smiled.

"Oh, but they are. If you do not believe me, go there."

"To where? I wouldn't have anywhere to stay!"

"There is nowhere to stay. The land is cursed. Every man abandoned this city… or at least, some of them did," Noah answered.

"So, once again, why would you send me to such a place? I am not a Belmont."

"Yes, but as you can see, I cannot go. I need you, Christiano. I will give you our family's name and all that you need to defeat Dracula just like my ancestors had."

"And how will you do that?" Just then, a servant entered the room. He was holding a thin, silver sewing needle.

"A blood pact," Noah answered.

"This is of Satan!" Christiano cried. He turned to leave when suddenly, Virgil jumped in front of the exit, growling. "Let me leave, Noah," he said, turning to him. Suddenly, the servant grabbed his hand and stabbed it with the needle. Christiano let out a hiss. One of Noah's fingers had already been pricked. Suddenly, the Belmont's seal, glowing a bright red, appeared on the floor below them. "I knew it! This is the work of Satan! Noah, please, stop this now!" Christiano begged. The servant took Christiano by the arm and began to pull him towards Noah. Christiano put up a fight, but the servant was stronger. Noah reached out and suddenly, their fingers touched. Christiano felt this great power enter him. The Belmont seal disappeared and reappeared under Christiano's feet. Christiano's eyes began to tear up.

"You are now 'Christiano Belmont,'" Noah said. "Virgil will lead you to Milan. Send the devil Dracula back to rest or else his dark wings will spread all across the world."

"I trust you…" Christiano said stoically.

"There is one more thing…" Noah said as another servant entered the room. The servant was holding a whip. "This is the Vampire Killer. It has been passed down to me. It is the only thing that will destroy the creatures of the night and Dracula himself. No other weapon will work. Take it…" Christiano did as Noah said, looking at it. He suddenly felt powerful.

"This power is real…" Christiano said.

"Thank you," Noah said. "You truly are my best friend." He then closed his eyes to rest.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Entering the Dark World; The Land of Reflection

Christiano could not believe that he was in a carriage, with a panther, on his way to Milan. It would take them a little over a week so the two of them were going to get to know each other quit well. Before Christiano left, Noah had given him a book to write in. He said that if he wanted to survive, he should keep notes on how to defeat the creatures of the night. Christiano thought it was a silly thing, but at this point, he had to trust him. Christiano first began writing in this book on Virgil. With each stop the carriage made, he would venture into the local town, with Virgil by his side. People naturally feared him. They thought he was a demon and that Virgil was some kind of familiar. They hid in their homes, however, the merchants were too desperate to after the war. Christiano would buy food for him and Virgil (who liked nothing but meat) and take it with him back to the carriage. Christiano wrote pages about Virgil and his behavior. He also made a little sketch of him.

What depressed Christiano was that they would have to pass through western Vienna to get to Milan. Christiano watched them turn away from the coast further into the country. The roads were quite defined.

The carriage stopped in a city, which is what some would call "Bergamo."

" _The horse has been growing more and more bewildered as we approach Milan. We are getting close now. I believe the animals can sense the evil in the winds. Virgil, however, has been quiet as of late. Whenever we enter a town, he would growl at strangers who got too close to me, but now he just follows me. Perhaps the threat is everywhere now and he does not know which direction to turn… There are chickens all over this city. I am surprised that he didn't try to go after any of them. He eats what I buy for him and simply goes back to the carriage. He is almost like a good greyhound,"_ Christiano wrote. _"I am not a Belmont, so I don't understand a lot of what is happening to me at this time, but all I do know is that I must make it to Milan."_

Christiano wandered the city of Bergamo, recognizing its Venetian influence. He was reminded of home. As soon as he spotted a church, he entered it. He looked at the large arches, stained glass saints, and empty pews. He immediately walked up to a confession box, a patient priest sitting inside. Christiano sat down in the confession box and began to talk.

"What is it, child of God, that plagues you?" the priest whispered.

"I must go to cursed lands. These lands aren't necessarily soaked with the blood of war, but they are under the dominion of the devil himself. This land has been chosen for his revival. I am afraid. I am going there to fight this devil. I must somehow go there and not look back…"

"God did not install the spirit of fear in us, child. Fear is of Satan. Why must you go to such a place?"

"I am doing it in the place of a sick friend. If it is not his fate, it certainly is mine now."

"When you say, 'to fight this devil,' do you mean to convert the heathens that rule that land?"

"Not exactly… It is hard to explain…"

"I think not. There have been horrifying rumors about the city of Milan turning into a 'devil's land.' All trade with the city has halted. Is this the place you speak of?"

"Yes… And I must go there."

"You are a brave child of God. For that, I must ask you a favor," the priest said, exiting the box. Christiano quirked a brow and exited it as well. The priest went somewhere beyond the altar, only to return moments later with a plump glass full of water. "Take this with you. It is Holy Water, blessed under Michael the Archangel. Some of us here were hoping that someone would venture to Milan… Michael will help you fight this devil. Use it to release anything of its evil essence, as it is the army of God that fights within each drop," the priest said, offering it to Christiano. He took it and put it in his brown sack.

"Thank you, Father."

"Be brave, my child. And do not look back," the priest warned.

Christiano exited the church to find Virgil waiting for him outside.

"Kept you waiting, Virgil? What's wrong? They wouldn't let you into the church?" Christiano said, laughing. Virgil hissed back. "Come now! I was only teasing!"

…It was the tenth day that Christiano and Virgil had made it to Milan. It was the evening, though he could have sworn the sun had just begun to set. The carriage did not enter the gates of the city. The man driving the horse said, "This is as far as I go. From what I've heard from the people of Bergamo, I don't think me nor my horse belong here. You are either very brave or very stupid to enter this cursed city. Regardless, I do thank you for your patronage. Go with God."

Christiano and Virgil emerged from the carriage, which quickly left them. Christiano let out a sigh, looking up at the moon. His eyes widened—the moon was red! Virgil seemed to be looking up at it too.

"The moon—" Just then, Virgil ran ahead into the main eastern gate of Milan. "Virgil! What is it?! Have you found something?!" Christiano cried, running after him.

Suddenly, what appeared to be an entrance to a dark city turned into an entire world of reflection. Christiano stood in shallow, still water, it reflecting nothing more but the moon and the stars above.

"What madness is this?!" he cried. Virgil was by his side, low to the ground. Suddenly, he jumped forward, attacking something. Christiano took out the Vampire Killer from his waist on the right, gripping it with his left hand.

Without any kind of warning, a face emerged from the darkness. It was of a stoic, Roman statue on a pedestal. Christiano jumped. Why had it suddenly appeared? Just then, blood began to run down from its eyes. Christiano took a step back. "Is it… alive?" Suddenly, four black feathered wings sprouted from its back. It flapped its wings and jumped off of the ground towards Christiano, with what sounded like a sad sigh. Christiano jumped back again and used the whip to hit the statue across the face. It sighed louder and jumped again. Christiano began to run.

"Am I in Hell?!" Christiano cried. Then, he saw a group of giant hornets ahead of him. He stopped, his breath halting. There were more winged statues, the giant hornets relentlessly stinging them. He could hear the statues whispering among each other between loud sighs, hearing words in old Italian, Hebrew, and Greek. Suddenly, the statue that had been chasing Christiano caught up with him. The statue leaned into Christiano's back and sighed into his ear. He jumped and swung the Vampire Killer around to whip it in the face again. A bit of the stone chipped.

Suddenly, Virgil came out of what seemed like nowhere and pounced onto the statue, clawing at its face. He clawed at it until the face was gone and the statue lay on the ground, not moving.

"So if you deface it… I understand now, Virgil!" he said. The giant hornets then spotted Christiano and began to rush towards him. Christiano's light brown eyes grew a little lighter and he then spun around like a vicious wind, whipping every hornet to their death. He then stopped, panting. "What has possessed me? Is it this whip?" Christiano looked at the whip in his hand. The group of statues that were whispering began to hop towards him now, faces stained in blood; there were at least five of them. Christiano whipped at their faces, chipping piece by piece until they fell dead. They eventually disappeared in a fury of black feathers. Everything had fallen silent. Christiano did what Noah had told him to do. He began to sketch an image in his book and write about them.

" _These statues seem to be alive. Blood runs from their eyes, down their still bodies. They sigh, though their lips do not move. They have four black wings made of feathers, perhaps like a fallen angel. Perhaps that is what I should call them? The Fallen Roman Angels? And these giant hornets… They seem to sting anything! Even beings made of stone! They swarm like any other hornet, but because of their size, I can imagine, are far more deadly than your everyday bee."_ He closed the book and put it back into his sack. Virgil, by his side once more, looked around them, seeing an endless horizon of black; only the blood-stained moonlight defined it.

"Where do I go?" Christiano said, looking around him in the silence. Suddenly, he heard something large take a step into the water. His eyes widened. The moonlight was bouncing off of something shiny. Ripples in the water began to reach him. Eventually, the large thing stopped, looking down at Christiano. Christiano could not believe what he was seeing. Before him was a giant man dressed in black armor. He had four, black eyes, an additional pair of eyes above the other. He had four wings of a bat. He kneeled down to stare into Christiano's eyes. At first Christiano was scared, but then he remembered the priest's words and glared back.

"I am Charon, guard of the shores of Acheron. Why have you come to this place, knight?" the man said.

"Are you a demon?" Christiano asked.

"Yes. And this is my dominion. Do you wish to cross the shores of Acheron into the next ring?" Charon asked. Christiano sighed.

"Do I have a choice?"

"You may return to the world of man if you'd like. Simply jump into the reflection of the moon… But if you wish to venture further into the cursed lands, you must beat me," Charon said, taking out a large oar. Christiano looked at the oar and then back into Charon's eyes.

"I accept. My fight will not stop here," Christiano stated. Virgil gave them distance, which Christiano found strange. Was he spectating?

"Very well, then," Charon said. He suddenly swung his oar, it smacking Christiano in the side, sending him flying. He landed on all fours. _That hurt._ The demon laughed. Just then, more of the Fallen Roman Angels appeared. Charon grew angry and smacked them away, shattering them on the ground. "Pitiful!" he cried. Christiano was confused. Weren't they on the same side?

Christiano decided he would use these sighing statues that Charon despised as a diversion. Christiano's eyes grew a little brighter and he jumped high, whipping Charon in the face multiple times. Charon fell back onto his rear.

"You are lucky that those pitiful creatures caught my attention. But I must say, you are quite good!" Charon admitted, laughing. Charon got back up onto his feet and charged at Christiano. He rolled out of the way and whipped Charon between the bend of his knee, creating a stripe of fresh blood. Charon grunted. He pivoted and charged at Christiano again, but Christiano repeated what he had done and gave him a cut in the bend of his other knee. Charon flapped his four wings, sending Christiano rolling. He got up from the ground to see an angry, stumbling Charon. Charon, with a gait now, ran towards Christiano... When he got close enough to Christiano, he span around with his oar; Christiano kept low to the ground, his oar flying above his head. He then whipped him again, striking his exposed ankle. Charon fell onto one of his knees, letting out a roar. He got to his feet once more and spun himself around, trying to hit Christiano with his oar again. Christiano's eyes glowed again. Instead of ducking under the move, he jumped onto the oar and used it to jump up and whip Charon's face. Charon, eyes squeezed shut, stumbled back and tripped over a wandering Fallen Roman Angel. He fell onto his rear again and held his ankle, realizing that the cut had opened more with the fall.

"Alright, alright. I don't want you to disable me now!" Charon cried. "I will take you across the bloody waters to the next ring."

"Thank you…" Christiano said, panting. Charon got up, limping into the darkness. He then returned with a boat in his arms. He set it down and Christiano and Virgil got in. More of the Fallen Roman Angels flocked to the boat, trying to jump in, but Charon smacked them away with his oar. He then guided Christiano to a shore where there was actual solid ground.

"Know that any other beyond me and possibly Minos will not just challenge you, but will try to kill you," Charon warned.

"I understand," Christiano said, taking a step onto the sand. Though it was still night, there was more light, showing another gate up ahead of him.

"You will soon meet him—Minos, I mean. Be your sins not as scarlet as mine, you shall pass. Otherwise you will join the others that were tossed aside to the wind…" Charon said.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Minos' City; City of the Wrathful Winds

Christiano walked down a hill, listening to his footsteps press into the grass. On his right was a wall of solid rock, while on his left was a black abyss.

"Be careful, Virgil. You don't want to fall now," Christiano warned. Virgil looked up at him, made a grunt, and continued on. Christiano smiled; it was as if he understood him. He then suddenly remembered to write into his book. He began to sketch a picture of Charon and then after that, write down what he thought of him.

" _Charon is the first gatekeeper to this hellish place. He is a giant demon dressed in black armor like that of a Roman soldier from long ago. His weapon of choice is an oar, which he uses to either smite others or bring others to the shores of Acheron. He is a very peculiar character."_

He then continued onward, seeing that ahead of him was a short line of people, standing before a tall gate. Suddenly, from behind the wall emerged another giant man, with two, serpent-like tails. Christiano stopped to watch the scene. Minos looked down and then picked up a man, tossing him behind the city walls. Then, the next man stepped forward. Minos immediately picked him up and threw him to the left, over the cliff. Then, a third man walked up to Minos. Minos stepped aside and the man walked into the city. Christiano swallowed hard and walked down another hill down to a stone path that lead into the gates of the city where Minos stood. As soon as Minos spotted Christiano, he used his large hand to take all of the other men and toss them over the wall. He then walked up to Christiano and bent down, looking at him straight in the eyes. Christiano could feel his warm breath hitting him.

"Christiano Veneziano, or should I say, Christiano Belmont…" Minos said, smiling. The Belmont's red seal appeared under Christiano's feet.

"You know of me?" Christiano said, brows furrowing.

"Yes. I know all men that wish to pass through my city," Minos said. He then used a finger to gently tip Christiano's head back. "Christiano, you are a man who fought in a Holy War, in the name of spreading the Word of God to the heathens. You killed many men. Not good at all…" Minos said. Christiano swallowed hard. "But you never harmed any that had no weapon against you. You nor your sick friend, Noah Belmont, had; you both were merciful soldiers. You have come here to the cursed lands in his place, not to spread the Word of God, but to save the world. That is sacrifice. That is very good…" Minos said. Minos withdrew his finger. "Also, your soul is that which leans on the Father. This puts you onto the path of the right. You are like the murderer on the cross which Jesus mercifully saved," Minos continued. "You have also never fallen to the cardinal sins and have followed the seven virtues. You have disobeyed a Commandment—'Thou shall not kill'—but you were merely defending yourself. This makes things very complicated…" Minos admitted. "But I have decided that you may enter my city and not be thrown to the purple winds, like those who you saw before. A man by the name of Pelleas has made it through the gates. He was a dark sage, on the wrong side of his war… But he has a good soul. You may meet him. It might be best if you travel together." Minos stood up straight now. "You may pass, Christiano Belmont."

"Thank you," Christiano replied. Virgil walked by his side as he entered the city…

The city looked abandoned. The buildings, two stories at most, were made of sandstone bricks. The sky was cloudy, looking as if it were going to rain; the red moon was hidden. It was very windy. Once in a while, he saw dead bodies flung across the stone roads. Suddenly, large, dark birds with long, purple tails rushed at him. One pecked at his shoulder, the armor covering it denting. Christiano took out his whip and whacked them back. They bursted into black and purple feathers and disappeared. He sighed, taking out his book.

" _First, I would like to write about Minos, who is the gatekeeper of this windy, nameless city. He has two tails that look like serpents and a face of a Greek. He knows all about your character just from looking into your eyes. He will either toss you into the wind, throw you into the dark abyss, or let you pass through the gates. I think these men who approach him die a second death, the death of the soul."_

Then he turned the page…

" _There are dead bodies just flying about everywhere. Some look like they recently died, while others look like empty husks from long ago. Among them are black birds with long, violet tails, that come after you. They will pluck your eyes out. I will call them the 'Violet Swallows.'"_

He closed the book. He then went forth, wandering the city. He would end up killing more "Violet Swallows" and hearing smothered screams in the wind from those who had recently been rejected by Minos. Just then, Christiano came across a man who wore a white and gold cape and royal blue robes. He had wavy, black hair that reached his shoulders, and ice blue eyes. Christiano flushed a bit. He turned to Christiano, running over to him.

"Oh, thank God, there is another living being that has not been damned to the wind!" the man said. To Christiano's surprise, Virgil did not growl at him.

"Are you the one that Minos has referred to as 'Pelleas?'" Christiano asked.

"Yes! Prince Pelleas! I was on my way to the church of Milan when I fell into this demon filled place! First, I met a demon who took me to this land—"

"Did he challenge you?"

"Why yes, he did! I am a dark sage! I simply immobilized him with one of my spells and he had given up."

"That is an amazing spell," Christiano commented.

"Thank you…" Pelleas said, blushing. Pelleas then looked under Christiano's feet, seeing the red Belmont seal under his feet. "You… Are you Belmont?"

"Well, it is hard to explain..."

"I know of this seal. Your bloodline has been fighting Dracula since the First Crusade. I believe that somewhere in this city of Milan, Dracula's castle has risen. I have come here, from the kingdom of Demonte, to destroy him as well. My dark magic has power over the beings in this world."

"It seems that way," Christiano replied.

"I think it would be best if we travel together! You and your pet!" Pelleas said, smiling. Suddenly, more Violet Swallows came their way. Pelleas held out his hand, stopping the birds in place. He then flung them, letting the vicious winds throw them into a wall where they bursted into feathers and died. Christiano smiled.

"I agree, Pelleas. Let's make our way further into Milan."

"Oh! And what is your name? I do apologize for not asking earlier!"

"Christiano," he replied, blushing. Pelleas' smile grew.

So, the two of them traveled north, killing Violet Swallows and dodging the bodies caught in the wind. They talked for a little. Christiano told him what he did for a living and Pelleas told him that his hobby was sewing.

"Isn't that a woman's work?" Christiano asked.

"It is the work of a man who wants to wear what he wants," Pelleas joked.

"I myself play the harp," Christiano said.

"No shame in that."

Suddenly, they heard a hissing. Pelleas looked around them, trying to find the source, as the wind had carried the sound from somewhere. Christiano took out his whip. Then, they heard hissing again, but this time it was louder.

"I think it is coming from the courtyard just beyond us," Pelleas said.

"I have to agree," Christiano said, taking a step forward. Pelleas and Virgil followed him. In the middle of the courtyard, there was a fountain, and some woman was bathing in it. Christiano and Pelleas froze. The woman then turned and came out from under the fountain. She hissed at them, her snake-like body following her. Christiano gripped his whip tight. She had golden brown skin, long, straight black hair, and green eyes. She was covering her breasts with her arm. She was beautiful. She turned her back to them and put on her golden brassier made of gold scales and then turned to face to them again. She approached them slowly.

"Who are you?" Pelleas asked nervously.

"I am Cleopatra, beauty condemned to this city. And who are you two delectable gentlemen?" she asked, smiling.

"I am Pelleas of Demonte and he is Christiano Belmont."

"A Belmont?!" she hissed. "Your ancestors came here long ago to defeat Dracula! Is that why you are here now?!"

"Yes," Christiano answered.

"As am I!" Pelleas added.

"If you defeat him, I will go back to Hell and suffer more! I will not let that happen! You will die here!" she cried. She slithered towards them, hissing. Pelleas used a spell to try to stop her, but it only slowed her down a bit. Christiano ran up to her to whip her when he was suddenly grabbed and kissed. He felt his energy being drained. Pelleas gasped and used a dark spell on her. Suddenly, she felt heartbroken! She threw Christiano away and began to sob.

"Antony, I did not mean to betray you! Please! Come back to me!" she cried.

"That is some horrid spell…" Christiano replied, looking over to Pelleas.

"I did say that I use dark magic… I am aware of her affair… There was no better spell…" he said. "You should attack her now." Christiano frowned. From out of his bag, he took out his glass of holy water. He then used a small vial to collect some and threw it at her, it shattering against her chest. Suddenly, she stopped crying and her body fell dead. However, a golden spirit flew out of her body, straight into the sky, disappearing.

"What did you just do?" Pelleas asked.

"Perhaps I gave her a second chance…" Christiano replied. Pelleas smiled at him.

"That was kind of you…"

The three of them continued to head north. Christiano was drawing a picture of Pelleas—a quite detailed one. He wrote a little on him.

" _Pelleas, Prince of Demonte, has been accompanying me now. He is from a kingdom from the west. He is a sage of dark magic. So far, he can make things still and cause broken hearts. His magic is that of the Enemy's, but here I am traveling with him to fight the evil that we encounter. He has used his magic to immobilize Charon, the demon, stop the assault of Violet Swallows, and break Cleopatra's heart so far. I must be aware of his power, though his face is gentle and his eyes look so sad. What troubles has he seen?"_

" _Cleopatra was once a beautiful woman from the times of Caesar. Now, she was cursed to live in this windy city in the company of screaming sinners. She, however, is not the woman men have written about. She is part woman, part snake. Her kisses are deadly, draining a man of his vigor. It is ironic that she has been this monster since it is the asp that had killed her. I have managed to free her soul of this world through the holy water of Archangel Michael that I have on my side. I pitied her. Suicide is never the answer to one's troubles…"_

Once they exited the city, it began to rain. They saw before them some kind of ruins. Perhaps it was once part of the city? Perhaps it was there before it? It didn't matter. They walked through the dilapidated town, looking around them. Not a single soul was around, they thought, until they heard a roar. The two of them hid behind a column and looked to see a large three-headed dog under a ledge. Virgil continued towards the beast.

"Virgil!" Christiano whispered. "Get over here!"

Virgil then approached the beast and began making sounds at him. The three-headed dog stood up, barking back. Then the two of them turned to face Christiano and Pelleas. The two of them looked at each other and then proceeded forward.

"Virgil, what _are_ you?" Christiano said quietly.

"We're walking past the beast known as Cerberus. I cannot believe how tame he is…" Pelleas said quietly. The three of them walked past Cerberus. Suddenly, they saw a little boy with silky red hair, light green eyes, and some kind of tattoo on his cheek.

"Boy, what is your name? And what are you doing here?" Pelleas asked, bending down to meet him eye-to-eye.

"I am Isaac. Now, go away; it is not yet my time," the boy said. Pelleas stood up and looked over at Christiano, looking confused.

"'Your time?' Boy, come with us, so you may be saved!" Pelleas begged. Just then, the boy took out a spear with sharp bat wings at the edge and pointed it at them.

"Go. Away," Isaac commanded. Suddenly he took a pink orb and threw it at the ground. From the soil rose skeletons of dead dogs, fully reanimated by the boy's magic. The boy then sat on Cerberus' back and the two of them ran off. Christiano and Pelleas were surrounded.

"Pelleas, I'm going to need you to lay on the ground," Christiano whispered, amongst the growling of the dogs.

"Okay?" Pelleas said, getting down slowly. Christiano began to glow. He then spun around over and over, creating a powerful wind with his whip. The dogs were forced back, some cowering. Virgil attacked one that came near him, clawing wildly. Virgil then jumped into the air and pounced on the dog with claws enchanted with lightning. With each swipe came a quiet clap of thunder. Christiano stopped, shocked. _What are you, Virgil?_ Pelleas immediately got to his feet and used a spell to immobilize two of the dogs. Christiano, even though quite confused by the entire scene, whipped the dogs, chipping their bones. Eventually they would fall apart and sink back down into the ground.

Once the three of them defeated the five skeletal dogs that had surrounded them, they continued onward through the ruins. Everything was fairly still. At one point, they took refuge under a ledge. They were drenched in rain. Christiano began to write in his book, Pelleas watching him sketch.

" _The rain is dreadful. Cerberus is a three-headed dog who seems to guard these ruins we have been traveling through. My friend, Virgil, seemed to talk to him—one beast to another, I suppose. He let us pass."_

" _Just then, we saw a boy named Isaac. He seems to be troubled. But he clings to this cursed land as if it were home. Pelleas and I hope-"_

Suddenly, Virgil turned to the wall, growling.

"What is it, Virgil?" Christiano asked. He was growling at their shadows. "Virgil, it's just our shadows." Pelleas, who was being very still, saw Christiano's shadow turn and face him.

"What?! Christiano, your shadow!" The shadow was about to whip Pelleas when Christiano used his whip to hit his supposed shadow. Then came a cry of pain. The three of them got to their feet, pulling away from the wall back into the rain. Out of the wall came three dark, ghostly mists with beating hearts in the center. Virgil tried to pounce on his shadow, but he went right through it. Christiano dodged the whip of his shadow. Pelleas had cast a spell, stopping the shadow in place; he couldn't keep him this way for long, for the shadow was as strong as he was. Suddenly, Christiano whipped the beating heart of his shadow on accident, the shadow disappearing into mist.

"Attack the beating heart within them!" Christiano cried. He was hoping Virgil understood him, like he seemed to before. "I should have realized this…" Pelleas released his shadow from the spell and suddenly used a spell bringing a giant bolt of lightning down through its heart. The shadow was no longer there. When Christiano turned towards Virgil, he saw him feasting on his shadow's heart. Virgil's shadow, as well as the rest of the heart, disappeared.

Just when they thought their battle was over, more shadows came at them.

"Well, at least we know what to do this time!" Christiano said, smiling.

As they went on, the rain began to clear up. Soon, they saw that there was another wall and gate up ahead. A man in golden armor was standing at the gate. He was holding a golden sword.

"Halt!" the man cried as Christiano and Pelleas approached.

"I suppose you won't let us pass?" Christiano said cockily.

"Oh, of course not! You two are both wealthy men, unaware of the hard work of men breaking their backs to turn the gears below your feet!"

"That is not true! Though I inherited my father's business, I was fully aware of my servant's work and would pluck with them!" Christiano cried.

"My kingdom is war-torn! My father is fighting with the men against the neighboring kingdom's men of Imperia! And here I am, in Hell!"

"Neither of us are wealthy and moreover, unaware!" Christiano cried.

"I am never wrong," the man replied. "I am Plutus, no other more aware than I of other's greed! I will let this Pelleas pass, because he is a troubled man, but you— _never_!"

"'Tis not my vice. Perhaps, murder, but not greed," Christiano replied, smiling.

"I challenge you, Christiano Belmont! You will wish you had not crossed me!" Plutus said, pointing his sword.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Damned Man at the River

Pelleas and Virgil stepped aside with their backs against the cliff. Christiano took out his whip.

"Ah! You truly are a Belmont! I will be praised to coat my sword in your blood!" Plutus cried. Christiano was frustrated. He wasn't a _true_ Belmont. He was a Veneziano, a wine producing family since 1133. But his blood was no longer his—it was Noah's. He thought back to sick Noah, imagining him praying to God that he would return.

Plutus gripped the hilt of his sword and ran towards Christiano, aiming to slash him diagonally. Christiano dodged out of the way and tripped Plutus. Plutus stumbled but then turned his body to swipe Christiano as he fell to the ground. Christiano was struck—thank god he had equipped some armor from his old Crusade days when he made his trip to Milan; otherwise, the rest of him was thin chainmail, robe, and cape. Plutus got up and began to run towards him when Christiano used his whip to wrap around his ankles and trip him again. Plutus growled as he got onto his knees.

"Are you looking to make a bumbling fool of me?!" Plutus cried.

"Haven't you already?" Christiano said back, smiling. He tugged Plutus by the feet and then released him, throwing him against the wall hard. Part of Plutus' gold armor bent. Christiano then quirked a brow. _Is his armor literally made of gold?_ Christiano's eyes flickered yellow for a moment and then he ran up to him, only giving Plutus the chance to get up. Christiano whipped at his armor wildly, causing all kinds of dents and powerful blows to the chest. Plutus was trapped against the wall. When Christiano finished his barrage of attacks, he jumped back, waiting for Plutus to attack. Plutus was panting. He rushed at him once more, but Christiano used his whip to snatch the sword out of Plutus' hand and kick him in the chest when he got close enough. Plutus fell to the ground, waving his hand.

"'Tis enough!" He got his feet once more. Christiano was juggling his golden sword, smiling. "'Tis enough…" he repeated. "Please, my sword…" Christiano made a face of amusement and tossed it. Plutus picked it up, letting out a sigh. "I truly underestimated you…"

"Well, I will agree to that, but I will also say that only a fool makes his armor out of real gold," Christiano replied. Pelleas smiled as well.

"I… shall let you pass," Plutus said, out of breath. "But I must warn you,"

"Yes?"

"Do not pick up any of the gold you see surrounding this gate. It was from men who tried to buy their mercy. It is cursed."

"I see. Pelleas, Virgil, let's go," Christiano said to them. The three of them entered the gate to them see a boiling river of blood in front of them.

"It smells! Like blood! What kind of river is this? River to Mount Vesuvius?! We must truly be below the earth…" Pelleas said, frowning.

"I don't know… But we must cross it," Christiano said, turning to him.

"It is so wide… Oh, if only we had Charon's boat…" Pelleas said, looking annoyed. Suddenly, Virgil growled. The two of them turned to face him, seeing a demon on a boat, using an oar to go down the river. The demon spotted them and headed to the bank in front of them.

"Men who have made it this far in the cursed lands! My still heart almost beat seeing you! Do you wish to go further?" the demon asked.

"Yes, we do. We need to get to Dracula's castle," Christiano replied.

"Ah. Not too far from here. You must cross this river, the River Styx, to get to the City of Dis. From there, you must go through Judas' Fortress. Then, through the Graves of the Forgotten in the Marsh of the Hydra, to the Mountain of the Minotaurs, to the Rotting Forest, to the Burning Land, to the Black Aqueduct, to the Bridge of Fear, to the Church of the Poor, and then you may continue through the icy hell that surrounds the castle."

"Not too far?! You are mad!" Pelleas said.

"It isn't far if you do not weep with the damned," the demon said. "Do you wish to get to the City of Dis?"

"Yes," Christiano answered as he, Pelleas, and Virgil got onto the boat.

"Your pet… He is a very good guide," the demon said. Christiano quirked a brow, looking over at Virgil. Virgil looked away. _What are you, Virgil?_

Just then, zombies on fire surrounded them and began to try to climb in. The demon hit them with his oar and began to row away. Christiano began to write in his book.

" _Plutus is a very odd demon. He guards a gate that leads to the River of Styx with a golden sword. He is a man who knows when a man is greedy just by looking at them. Today, he tested me. I was able to conquer him because his armor was made of the weak metal gold. Perhaps he is the greedy one…"_

" _Today, I met another odd creature. He is a demon that has no name. He is all white and has no face. All he does is take people across the river Styx. He, however, seems to have his own standards as to who can and can't cross."_

...The three of them were in the boat for a long while. Virgil was curled up, asleep. Pelleas had fallen asleep as well, leaning against Christiano with his eyes shut. Christiano resumed writing about Pelleas.

" _Pelleas also seems to have power of lightning, like my friend Virgil. Perhaps it was wise to have some kind of elemental spell other than something of darkness. Right now, he is sleeping against me. I believe that he hasn't spent a lot of time traveling in his life. He looks so vulnerable sleeping. His brows are crossed, as if he is being plagued with a nightmare…"_

Suddenly, Christiano looked up, thinking he saw a man run along the riverside in the darkness. He quirked a brow and went back to writing.

" _To be a sage of dark magic he must have seen hellish things since he was very young. Why did his father, a king, choose for him to become a dark sage? Perhaps it was as the demon said, that he was 'on the wrong side of the war.'"_

Christiano looked up again, suddenly seeing a new face. Before he could clearly make out as to who it was, he was kissed. Christiano suddenly felt as if he was drunk. The thing pulled away from him. Christiano's eyes opened to see a man smiling at him. He was quite androgynous, but he could tell he was a man. He was very pale, to the point that small veins outlined his face. He had long, wavy rose red hair, and black sclera with hypnotic eyes that resembled rubies.

"' _Thou shalt be satisfied; such desire 'tis meet thou shouldst enjoy!_ " the man said. Christiano looked at him, looking alarmed. Blood ran down his chin from his bottom lip. He went to grab his whip, but suddenly, he felt his hand being cut across the knuckles. Christiano hissed. The man licked his long fingernails, which had a bit of Christiano's blood on them. "Hope you don't mind if I join you." Pelleas then began to wake up. The man grabbed Pelleas by the throat. Pelleas tried to free himself.

"What are you, demon?!" Christiano cried.

"I'm not quite a demon. Well, not your everyday demon. I am a child of the night. The term is 'vampire.' Being a Belmont, I'm sure you're quite familiar… I am Carnicus," he said, releasing Pelleas. Pelleas coughed.

"What do you want from us, Satan?!" Pelleas said in a strained voice.

"Satan does not dwell here, though His son does, who rejected humanity, God's gift…" Carnicus answered.

"Why did you kiss me?!" Christiano shouted, wiping the blood away from his lips.

"The lips and blood of a Belmont are some things I've been craving for for a very, very long time…" Carnicus said. "But something about it isn't quite right…" Christiano glared at him.

"No woman has ever kissed me and yet you have!" Christiano said, looking annoyed.

"I'm your first? Ah, your blood did remind me of a virgin's…" Carnicus said, grinning. Christiano got to his feet and took out his whip but then the demon guiding the boat spoke up.

"Do not fight here, or else we will all boil in the blood of River Styx," the demon said. Christiano growled and sat back down. Christiano and Pelleas glared at him. Carnicus lounged back.

"Is that envy that you look at me with, raven-haired one?" Carnicus said, still grinning. Pelleas flushed.

"What?! Envy?! No! 'Tis a deadly sin!" Pelleas cried. He glared at him with his icy eyes.

"And now I see wrath. 'Tis another sin…" Carnicus teased.

"Just leave me alone!" Pelleas cried.

"Ignore him, Pelleas. He will worry you to wrinkles," Christiano said. He still felt a little drunk.

Soon, the ride down the river was over and then they were in front of the iron walls of Dis. The four of them got out of the boat. The demon continued down the river, disappearing. Virgil went over to Carnicus' side. Carnicus pet him. Christiano looked confused. _Why, Virgil?_

"So, are you going to leave us now?!" Pelleas said as they all walked through the gate.

"If you wish to fight Dracula, you're going to need me," Carnicus said.

"And why is that? Is my Vampire Killer not enough?" Christiano said, looking confused.

"Well, other than your whip and your soul, you will also need a—nevermind. I will explain later, when we get to the Burning Land," Carnicus said back.

"I don't trust you. The dark energy that resonates from you is strong," Pelleas said.

"Yes, I suppose so, dark mage, but you are no saint either." Carnicus grinned. Pelleas' eyes sunk. Just then, Christiano took Pelleas' hand without saying a word. Pelleas blushed. He then let go.

"This city is full of all kinds of things. I would be careful if I were you," Carnicus warned with a smile. Christiano grabbed his whip.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: City of Discord

"You know… Though there is a moon, there are no stars here. Not even the most distant of light penetrates the night…" Carnicus said.

"You know, I hope that you aren't lying to us—about the Burning Land, I mean," Pelleas said, still annoyed.

"Oh, I'm not. I see your friend here trusts me already. Why can't you? Oh, raven-haired one, ye of so little faith…" Carnicus said, smiling.

"It's Pelleas!" he cried.

"Pelleas? Interesting name."

"Your name sounds like pestilence that has fallen upon the land!"

"Why, thank you! I chose it myself!" Carnicus said, laughing.

"What was your birth name?" Christiano asked, curious.

"Oh, it has been so long, I don't even remember it," Carnicus said, his smile disappearing. "After Dracula made me one of his, I forgot a lot of things." Christiano began to write in his book.

" _The vampire Carnicus is with us now. He is a true enigma. I lost my first kiss to him. I am enraged even though he may be a beauty for a man… His kiss made me feel drunk, like after drinking a sweet wine, when he had actually taken my blood! Perhaps that is how one who is attacked by a vampire may even submit to their attacker. Pelleas is angry as well…"_

"So why are you helping us?" Christiano asked.

"Because I want to see him be defeated. The bastard chained me to his world…" Carnicus answered.

" _He is damned to this world, like the demons who guard it."_

"But Dracula's castle moves, rising wherever those who seek his power be! He wasn't always in Milan! Usually he was further east, from what I've heard…"

"I wouldn't know. I've always been here, sitting at the riverside, watching others suffer. I was told that they were all God's children once."

"So how do we know you're going to be of any use to us at the Burning Land?!" Pelleas cried. Carnicus stopped and turned to face him.

"Do not cross me, young one, or I will steal your soul just like Dracula had stolen mine!" Carnicus threatened. Pelleas swallowed hard. Christiano took his hand again.

"So, do we head further north out of the City of Dis?" Christiano asked.

"I believe so… That is where Judas' Fortress is. Poor soul. He was used by God, you know? Without him, the Son would have never been able to become what he is now. You must have sympathy for a man who took his own life after realizing that he had committed the biggest sin. Personally, I would have sent him to heaven, but—"

"Please… Let's not talk of this now," Christiano said.

"Alright," Carnicus replied quietly. Suddenly, he stopped walking. Christiano looked at him.

"What is it?" Christiano asked. Carnicus slowly took out a sword from behind him that had old, golden Greek lettering on it. Pelleas looked alarmed. How had he not noticed it until now? Suddenly, a skeleton warrior rose from the stone road, aiming to stab Pelleas. In a blur, Carnicus was in front of him. He clashed swords with the skeleton. He then jumped back to spin and knock off the skeleton's head. The bones fell apart and to the ground where they instantly turned to sand.

"Carnicus! You saved me!" Pelleas cried. Carnicus said nothing. Suddenly, a group of skeletons rose from the stones, covered in damaged armor and holding different kinds of weapons. Christiano went forth, attacking two with his whip. Carnicus did the same, chopping the heads off of the skeletons. Virgil pounced on them and clawed at their weak bones. Pelleas performed a new spell Christiano had never seen, which was one that aged the skeletons to the point of them turning into sand. Christiano was shocked.

" _Pelleas has the power to, so far, stop things in place, break hearts, call upon lightning, and age things to their deaths. Every time I begin to think he is innocent, he reminds me that there is more to a person than the words he speaks. His voice is so soft, yet his spells are so cruel…"_

About ten skeletons later, they were back to walking through the city.

"This sword of yours… Is it enchanted?" Christiano asked Carnicus.

"Yes. With the power of Perseus. Ironic that a soulless thing like me would wield something with the power of a hero… but I suppose it's the survivors who win the spoils of battle."

Suddenly, they heard the screaming of women. They stopped.

"What is that?" Pelleas said quietly.

"I don't know, but it is getting closer," Christiano said.

"The mad. Dis is the City of Discord," Carnicus informed them. Suddenly from around a corner came faceless, hairless women holding their heads, screaming as they ran towards the four of them. There were at least over twenty of them. Virgil turned around and began to run down an alley. Christiano decided to follow him, the others joining him. The next avenue they arrived at, they heard the same noise.

"This madness!" Christiano cried. "What should we do?!" Virgil then broke through an abandoned house. Everyone got inside and shut the door tight. Christiano, Virgil, and Carnicus watched these faceless, screaming women run into each other from a window. They all kept quiet, whispering.

"They're all mad…" Pelleas said. "But why all women?"

"It is said that this is Medusa's city… Perhaps she keeps all of the souls of distressed women here…" Carnicus whispered.

They stayed there for a while until the screaming grew distant. Virgil stood in front of the door, ready to attack the entire ordeal. Christiano wrote in his book.

" _In the City of Dis, there is truly a sense of discord. Other than these reanimated skeletons of dead warriors, there are these women who, nude and faceless, run screaming down the streets. The vampire known as Carnicus has warned us that this is Medusa's city. We must continue to head north, out of this mad city."_

When it was deadly quiet, the four of them exited the house and continued going north. They slayed any skeleton warrior or even mad woman that headed towards them. They saw the fortress of Judas, which had towers with flames surrounding it. Coins of silver were scattered around the base. The north gate out of the city was just off to the side.

Suddenly, a woman descended from the sky in a beam of light. She was dressed in beautiful, white robes that clung to her body. Her back was turned to them.

"Is it an angel?" Christiano asked. "To help us on our way? Perhaps God has heard my prayers!" Suddenly, they all heard hissing.

"Where is that coming from?" Pelleas asked.

"From the woman," Carnicus answered. "It's Medusa! Shield your eyes!" he cried. The woman suddenly turned around with a face of distraught. Her eyes had a white film over them. Her hair began to move on its own, and she began to hiss louder. Carnicus closed his eyes, Pelleas used his arm to cover his own, and Christiano, who was a second too late, was suddenly turned to stone; even Virgil had his back turned to her. Medusa then turned away from them and began to sob. Both Pelleas and Carnicus turned their back to her, Pelleas discovering that Christiano had been turned to stone.

"N-no! Christiano! He is as still as stone!" Pelleas cried.

"Yes, it seems that way…" Carnicus replied.

"What are we going to do?! Oh, I must have a spell somewhere for this!" Pelleas said, biting his nails.

"You're such a child," Carnicus said, sounding annoyed. "Crying over someone like this!"

"I'm not crying! Can't you understand when others lose the ones that they—look after?"

"'Look after?' Don't tell me that you believed you could protect him," Carnicus said, smiling cockily.

"Just shut up! Shut up! I have to think!" Pelleas said, resuming his nail-biting.

"Step back," Carnicus commanded. Pelleas, confused, did so. Carnicus swung his sword, hitting Christiano in the waist. Suddenly, the stone cracked and Christiano was freed! Pelleas immediately clung to him.

"Thank God! Oh, Carnicus! Thank you!" Pelleas cried. Carnicus smiled and winked at him. Christiano looked down at the crown of Pelleas' head.

" _I was turned to stone by Medusa's gaze. Even in my state, I saw Pelleas panic and Carnicus swing his sword, enchanted by the hero Perseus. I was flesh and blood once more."_

Suddenly, Carnicus charged at Medusa, whose sobbing had grown quiet. He began slashing at her, blood spilling onto the ground. She tried to swipe at him with her sharp nails, but he dodged her attacks with a blur of red.

" _Carnicus' speed is inhuman."_

Just then, Christiano noticed that Carnicus was fighting with his eyes closed; he was simply relying on the movement of air. Christiano decided that it was best to leave Medusa to him, especially because of his enchanted sword. _How convenient._ Christiano slowly wrapped his arms around Pelleas, who stayed close. Both of them had their eyes shut.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't do anything… My spells are of this world—dark… I cannot heal…" Pelleas said, frowning.

"There was nothing you could have done," Christiano simply replied.

Suddenly, Carnicus flashed the blade of his sword at her, the golden letters on it glowing. Medusa gasped and suddenly turned to stone. Carnicus grinned. He then turned around to face the others, seeing Christiano embracing Pelleas. He instantly grew enraged.

"Free you and I have not a single gesture of a grateful soul?!" Carnicus replied, angrily. Christiano and Pelleas separated.

"I'm sorry…" Christiano replied. "I truly am in your debt."

"Yes… And now that you are, you may repay me!" Carnicus said, approaching them.

"With what?" Christiano said, quirking a brow. "I have nothing but my whip and the very armor and cloth on my back."

"Let me drink of your blood. I have been, for too long, surviving off of the blood of the condemned and the demons… I want real, living blood. Don't worry, it won't turn you into a vampire. Just might make you a little… drunk?" Carnicus said, giggling. He grinned, showing his fangs now. Virgil growled. "Oh! Shut up, Virgil!" Carnicus snapped.

"How did you know my partner's name?"

"Oh, that's because—"

"I'll do it," Pelleas spoke up. "You defeated Medusa after all. Just do not drain me to a husk. I know how you dislike me."

"'Dislike you?' Oh, you're not important enough to me for dislike… but I thank you for your offer. I will take it," Suddenly, Pelleas was in Carnicus' embrace. Christiano's eyes widened. Carnicus had already bit into his neck and began drinking.

" _This Carnicus takes whatever he wants."_

When he was finished, he lifted his head up, his lips covered in Pelleas' blood. Pelleas began to wobble, looking like his knees were about to give in. Christiano ran to him and caught him.

"Mmm… Blood of another virgin…" Carnicus said, smiling.

"Shut up," Pelleas said weakly.

"Because of you, we must rest a bit! Do you not understand the direness of this situation?!" Christiano yelled. Carnicus didn't answer. Instead, he went over to the statue of Medusa and sliced it in half, the top part of her shattering into dark blood once it hit the ground.

"The Fortress of Judas is right here. Do you see the flames? We can take refuge in there," Carnicus suggested.

"I suppose so."

"Besides… He is a dark sage. The exchange of blood isn't new to him. That is how he was ordained. He had to bathe in the blood of an elder dark sage," Carnicus said.

"Is this true, Pelleas?" Christiano asked.

"Yes… When I was younger…" Pelleas answered. Christiano felt a bit uncomfortable now. He was a Christian man. He was taught that "Through all, blood was life," and that one could only be baptized under the blood of Christ… But now he had begun to question other feelings that have risen to the surface: the blood pact with Noah; Pelleas' ordination; and his new feelings towards men. In his mind, he admitted he was a sinner and begged for forgiveness as his eyes had fallen onto Pelleas' fragile face.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Traveling to the Graves of the Forgotten

Pelleas looked like a broken doll on the blood stained floors of Judas' Fortress. His complexion began to return, though he still looked like he had been out in the cold. His lip was quivering. Christiano was glaring at Carnicus, who seemed to have his teeth sunken into a rat that had been crawling around. He drained the rat of its life and tossed it away, spitting at the ground.

"Disgusting!" Carnicus said.

"You did not have to do this," Christiano suddenly spoke up.

"I cannot drink of the River Styx, Belmont. I need my strength for the Burning Land," Carnicus replied apathetically.

"You keep on speaking of this!" Christiano said, standing up. "How am I to trust you?! Curse me for trusting you at all!" he said, rolling his head back.

"I'm not sure. Is it because I'm irresistible? That you were taken in by my drunken kiss?" Carnicus teased. Christiano blushed. "If you're so angry about it, why don't you punish me?" Carnicus said, smiling seductively now.

Christiano charged at him, swinging his whip. Carnicus dodged in a blur of color, getting behind Christiano. He then put his arms under Christiano's arms and bent them, locking him with his elbows.

"Not so good when you're angry, hm?" Carnicus then released him. Christiano turned around and whipped Carnicus right in the face. Carnicus stumbled back. His hands were covering his face, as blood dripped between his fingers. Christiano's eyes widened.

"Oh, God! What have I done?! Carnicus!" Christiano cried. Carnicus moved his hands away, revealing a cut going down his cheek to his upper lip. Carnicus then looked up at Christiano, enraged.

"What have you done to my FACE?!" Carnicus pounced onto Christiano, pinning him, and bit into his neck. Christiano flailed. Carnicus gripped Christiano's hands, digging his pointed nails into his wrists, drawing blood. Christiano wondered if Carnicus was going to kill him. Virgil did nothing, watching. Carnicus pulled away, the cut on his face slowly healing. Christiano watched, feeling drained. Carnicus got off of him, and went to sit on a step. He was panting.

"You… demon…" Christiano said in a strained voice.

"Shut up and rest. Both of you." Carnicus said, still looking angry. Christiano wanted to yell at him, but he passed out.

…Hours passed and Pelleas was waking up Christiano.

"Please…" Pelleas said over and over again.

"Let him sleep," Carnicus said. Pelleas looked over at him, glaring. He then used a spell to stop him in place.

"Christiano?" Pelleas put his hand on his forehead. Christiano woke up.

"Pelleas?"

"Yes, Christiano? Are you okay? God's sake, you still look so pale…"

"It does not matter. We must get going. Dracula's castle will rise…" Christiano sat up stiffly. Pelleas stood up, helping him to his feet. Suddenly, Pelleas stumbled into Christiano's arms. "Looks like we both aren't well. Thanks to you, Carnicus." Carnicus' eyes moved to stare at the two of them.

"Should I release him?" Pelleas asked, smirking.

"Yes."

"Yes?!"

"Yes. I still believe that he's telling the truth. He is just demented," Christiano said, smiling. Pelleas growled and freed Carnicus.

"Oh! I hate spells like that!" Carnicus cried. He then appeared in front of him. _He is fast._

"So, to the 'Graves of the Forgotten,' correct?" Pelleas said.

"Yes. Doesn't sound very inviting," Christiano replied. "Let us leave this cursed place." Just when they turned around, a giant, headless silver knight jumped down from the ceiling, right in front of the door. It let out a roar, the sound echoing throughout the empty fortress. Virgil growled back.

"Ah, how fortunate. We've met the fortress' guard," Carnicus said, teasing.

"Fortunate indeed," Christiano said, sighing. The knight then took out a silver sword that had spaces between sections of the blade, making it resemble a whip. "Very fortunate…"

The armor let out a roar and whipped his sword at Christiano. Christiano dodged to the side and ran towards the creature; he was lucky that it was slow. Christiano wildly cracked his whip at the armor, each hit bouncing off.

"What?!" Christiano cried, frustrated. "What am I to do?!"

The creature then turned to face him and used its blade to wrap around Christiano's feet. Its arm rose, dangling Christiano upside-down. His soft, light blonde hair fell into his eyes. Christiano struggled as he felt the blade digging into his ankles through his armored boots. He then peered into the darkness of the headless armor, seeing a ball of purple "souls" spinning around inside. The creature bent forward and slowly began to lower him, aiming to put Christiano inside of him. Christiano then flung his wrist, hitting inside the armor at one of the souls he saw. The soul broke free and flew out of the armor into the ceiling, disappearing. The creature dropped his weapon, wrapping his arms around his body in pain. Christiano was freed.

"Well, this is going to be difficult!" Christiano cried.

The creature rose and began to charge at Christiano, who had gotten some distance from him since he had been released. Christiano used his whip to grab the thing's ankle. He tugged as hard as he could as the creature approached him, when the creature suddenly tripped—which was what he wanted to happen. Christiano rushed over and began to whip the inside of the armor again; three souls escaped. The creature roared and picked Christiano up, throwing him across the room. Pelleas watched, looking nervous. Carnicus just shook his head. The creature began to charge at Christiano once more and went to whip him when Pelleas suddenly used a spell to try to stop it in its tracks; instead, it slowed him down. Christiano ran on this bladed-whip up to the armor and attacked him again; five souls left it this time. Christiano jumped back. The creature broke free from Pelleas' spell and let out a roar. The silver armor now turned red.

"Oh dear…" Christiano whispered. The armor was faster now, chasing him around the room. Carnicus let out a laugh.

"Hey! Whose side are you on anyway?!" Pelleas cried, looking annoyed. Carnicus just smiled and petted Virgil's head.

Just then, Christiano had an idea. He took a vial of holy water out of his bag as he was running and ran up a grand staircase. When he reached the top, he jumped onto a dilapidated chandelier hanging from the ceiling. As soon as the creature got under him, he dropped the vial inside the armor and then jumped off the chandelier, which was on its way to the floor thanks to his weight. Before the chandelier could hit the floor and shatter, the armor fell over, the last three spirits escaping. The armor then fell apart. Christiano landed on the floor, panting. Carnicus clapped while Pelleas let out a sigh of relief. Suddenly, out from the armor came a floating, glowing white cross. Carnicus' lip raised and he turned his back to it. Christiano hesitated and then went over to it, taking it into his hands. He instantly felt its power. He then put it into his bag.

"What was that all about?" Pelleas asked.

" _I will call this monster, 'Judas' Armor.' It attacked me once I tried to leave Judas' Fortress. It uses some kind of snake-like sword that can crack like a whip! The headless armor contained twelve souls within, like the twelve disciples of Christ. After its defeat, I received a powerful white cross, glowing with His Holiness. Perhaps it was His grace for the pitiful thing…"_

"I'm not sure, Pelleas, but I think it's time we leave…" Christiano said, panting still. Virgil ran ahead of him, pushing the door to the fortress open with his head. Carnicus followed, smirking as if he knew something none of them knew. This infuriated Pelleas, but he didn't feel like arguing.

Pelleas spotted a marsh up ahead.

"Do you think it's that way?" Pelleas asked.

"I have a feeling that we must continue north…" Christiano replied. "So, yes."

"I can smell it from here! It's horrid!" Pelleas complained.

"'Tis the smell of death," Carnicus answered.

Before they could reach the marsh, three creatures flew by. The four of them spun around to watch them. They suddenly stopped. The three creatures were actually three naked women; one had black eyes and fire for hair, with red scales going up her arms and down her legs; the second had a more petite frame and was made of what looked like ice and had no facial features whatsoever; and the third had brown eyes and was all white with scales all over, and her long hair stood up, possibly because of all the small lightning bolts that traveled around her. The one made of ice landed and stepped forward.

"We are the Three Furies! How dare you gaze upon us!" she cried. Christiano raised a brow.

"We were not gazing at you. Please understand this: There is no perversion here," Christiano replied. The one made of electricity landed.

"You are wrong!" she cried. "That demon's lips are wet with lust!" Christiano, Pelleas, and Virgil all looked over at Carnicus, who quickly turned away. Pelleas sighed.

"Guilty by association. You should all burn in Hell for this!" the one made of fire cried.

"Aren't we already in Hell?" Carnicus said, snickering.

"I will strike you down for your insolence!" the one made of electricity said, pointing at him.

" _The Three Furies are three wrathful female, elemental demons. I have heard of these beings once from a teacher of Greek literature. One is made of ice, and I shall name her Megaera, for she stepped forward first; the one made of fire, I will name Tisiphone, for her condemnation; and the one made of lightning I shall call Alecto, due to her temper. I suppose not all Greek literature is mere literature—after all, I have met Charon and Plutus… I will choose to fight Tisiphone, for I have Holy Water that might put out that raging fire! Perhaps it is best that Pelleas fight Megaera, who may become consumed with his lightning and be destroyed... As for Carnicus, he has no choice but to fight Alecto, as she has specifically set her eyes on him. I wonder how a vampire could defeat something he cannot touch… Serves him right."_

Christiano ran over to Tisiphone, whose arms became engulfed in flames. She began to throw punches, but Christiano was able to dodge them; she wasn't as fast as he thought. Just then, without any warning, her legs caught on fire and she kicked Christiano, sending him flying. He made sure not to touch his armor as he got up, as it was hot now. She ran towards him and resumed throwing punches, but Christiano used his whip to beat her back.

"That whip is blessed with that Hebrew god!" she cried out in pain.

"I'm afraid you're wrong. Twas made of alchemy. I merely added my own touch," Christiano said, smiling. She growled.

"I will turn you to ashes!" she yelled. She twirled herself around until she was spinning up a wild tornado made of fire. Christiano stepped back, not knowing what to do. Pelleas, who was fighting Megaera, quickly used a spell to stop her, freezing the tornado; he wasn't sure as to how long. Christiano used his whip to whip through the frozen fire and hit her in the face. He then jumped back and threw a vial of holy water at her breast. As it shattered, the fire tornado resumed its spinning, but slowly, it petered out and turned to steam, Tisiphone gone.

Pelleas had begun his fight with Megaera, but he was mostly being defensive. Megaera rushed up to Pelleas.

"Such a beautiful face!" she cried. Pelleas got low, kneeling, and slammed his hand onto the ground, creating a shield of electricity around him. Megaera was hit and bounced back.

"That hurts!" she cried. Pelleas then took out a brown book, it leaving his hand and floating in front of him. The book opened and began to shoot beams of lightning at her. Megaera was actually able to dodge this, which made Pelleas nervous. He took his book back and got close to the ground again. When she was near, he made another shield of electricity, hitting her again.

"Enough!" she yelled after recovering from the blow. She stood still and summoned red icicles from the ground, rising into the air. She then waved her arm and threw them at him. He was able to dodge some, but one cut him straight across the face. When Christiano noticed this, he took out his cross and flung it at her, it cutting her in the back and returning to him like a boomerang. She let out a scream. She rushed at him and then Pelleas used his most powerful lightning-related move, which was the one he had used earlier—the lightning bolt. It struck her and she fell to the ground, right before Pelleas' boots. She reached up as if she could touch his face.

"Beautiful…" she whispered, her cold breath kissing his cheek, which flushed. He put his warm hand to his cold face. She then exploded into powdered snow.

Carnicus and Alecto were glaring at each other, almost as if they were studying each other. Alecto then spoke up.

"You can't even touch me, demon! I will make your undead heart explode!" she said cockily.

"As beautiful as you are, whoever said I needed to touch you?" Carnicus replied. Suddenly, a scythe appeared in his hand in a flash of light. Christiano had been using holy water to heal the cut on Pelleas' cheek when they both gasped. Alecto's glare intensified and she began to throw bolts of lightning at Carnicus. Carnicus dodged, his movement blurring. Alecto was unable to detect where he was going. When he got close, without a moment's hesitation, he swung his scythe, cutting her in half. She disappeared in a flash of lightning with a clap of thunder. Christiano and Pelleas stood there, watching him in awe.

"One hit…" Pelleas whispered.

"Carnicus, where did you get that scythe?" Christiano asked, genuinely curious. Carnicus turned around to face them, the scythe disappearing.

"It was a parting gift from Dracula himself," he replied. Christiano and Pelleas looked at each other and then back at Carnicus. Carnicus suddenly appeared in front of Christiano, running his thumb along his chin. "Pretty sexy, huh?" Christiano flushed.

"There is nothing 'sexy' about killing!" Pelleas cried, looking annoyed.

"So jealous, raven-haired one." Carnicus said, shaking his head with a smile. Pelleas growled under his breath.

"I'm growing tired of these… monsters… I hope the marsh up ahead will be a little more 'quiet,'" Christiano said.

"I hope so," Pelleas said. Carnicus bent down to rub underneath Virgil's chin.

"What do you think, Virgil? Did I do a good job?" Carnicus asked in a sing-songy voice. Virgil gently head-butted his hand. _Virgil, why do you like him so much?_

As they approached the marsh, they noticed that they had to cross River Styx again.

"Now what?" Pelleas asked, sighing. Suddenly, the white, featureless demon in the boat appeared, making his way to the shore.

"I suppose you would like to go to the Graves of the Forgotten now?" the demon said.

"Yes. You seem to appear whenever we need you. What is your name, demon?" Christiano asked.

"I am Charon—just another extension of him is all," he replied.

"Astounding..." Christiano said softly.

"The blood of River Styx and marsh of the Graves of the Forgotten do not mix, so we will once again be parting ways," Charon said.

"I see… Well, let us depart," Christiano said, walking forward into the boat.

The four of them traveled down the river again.

"You know… I was not born with red eyes and red hair… I think it all changed when Dracula made me his… That day, I forgot so much… Once again, like I had mentioned earlier, I even forgot my own name…" Carnicus said, eyes rolled up in thought. "If I see Dracula again, I wonder if I'll get answers with his dying breath," he said, smiling now. "That would be nice. You better be ready, Belmont."


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Graves of the Forgotten

"So, Carnicus, why did you not use Perseus' sword against the Fury?" Christiano asked, looking at him with a suspicious pair of eyes.

"It only works in regards to petrification or what is bone. I found it one day and that is what Charon told me—what the letters on the blade stood for: 'Only use on those cursed by the Gorgons.'" Carnicus answered. His eyes then met Christiano's. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I've never seen anyone pull a weapon out of air."

"I told you already. It was a parting gift from Dracula. When he made me, I cursed him and he gave me this scythe to defend myself—as a game, I guess. It has helped me survive…" He let out a sigh. "I merely thought it would help me against the Fury. That's all that's to it."

"Of all things, why a scythe?" Christiano continued. Carnicus grew angry.

"I don't know! Why, if you want to know, ask Dracula then!" Carnicus shouted. Just then, a zombie on fire rose out of the water, trying to get into the boat. Carnicus growled at it and grabbed it by the throat, sinking his teeth into its shoulder. Christiano and Pelleas froze. When he was done, he threw the zombie away, it sinking into the river. The blood around Carnicus' mouth was black. Carnicus spit out some into the river and wiped his mouth.

"Even the blood of the undead?" Pelleas said softly.

"I take whatever I can get. Unlike you privileged bastards, who can drink the finest wines, I am left with the blood of rats and the damned!" Christiano and Pelleas grew silent. They knew it was true.

" _This vampire, Carnicus, can summon a scythe. He has used it to defeat one of the Furies I wrote about earlier. Even he doesn't know how he summons it. He may be an enigma to me, and to himself."_

Virgil then got up and carefully rested his head in Carnicus' lap. He pet him, smiling down at him.

"You… seem to have a way with animals," Pelleas commented.

"Well, it's odd, but I think I've met your little pet before. Maybe in a dream? Not sure…" Carnicus said. Christiano smiled for a moment. There was something very human about him petting Virgil. Carnicus caught him looking at him, causing Christiano to avert his gaze immediately. "Christiano, are you afraid to look at me? It's the eyes, isn't it?"

"I wasn't looking at you," Christiano replied with a straight face.

"Haha! You're too funny, Belmont!"

…Soon, they were getting off of the boat. Christiano bid Charon farewell, and then turned to the dark marsh before them. There were wooden bridges over the dark water connecting little islands of soft land. The sound of frogs chirping could be heard. Suddenly, Christiano spotted a small, circular building.

"I wonder what is in there…" Christiano said, heading towards it.

"Wait, Christiano! This building looks very much so 'out-of-place!' Don't you think we should leave it be?" Pelleas said. Christiano didn't listen and opened the door.

"Relax, prince of darkness. It's just a mausoleum," Carnicus replied. The other three followed him inside.

Engraved on the wall, it said "Alighieri Famiglia." There were five graves and in the center was a pool of water with a statue of the crucifix in the middle.

"This water isn't like the water outside… It is blessed… This is fortunate, because I am running out of holy water…" Christiano said quietly.

"How do you know it is holy water?" Pelleas asked.

"I must take the chance."

"Wait. I can tell you if it is or not…" Carnicus said, sighing. He bent over and dipped the tip of his finger into the water. He immediately withdrew it, hissing. "God damn it, that hurt!" Pelleas couldn't help but to let out a laugh.

"Thank you, Carnicus," Christiano said, smiling at him. Carnicus blushed lightly. Christiano took his glass of holy water out and filled it up. "Now I have the power of Archangel Michael and… what seems to be the old Saint Peter…" Christiano put his bottle of holy water back in his bag.

Soon, they were walking across a creaky bridge. Pelleas was nervous about the bridge breaking, but Carnicus reassured him that it was sturdy. Suddenly, a Gorgon head flew out of the darkness, glaring at them. Pelleas was turned into stone. Carnicus rushed up to the Gorgon head and, with his sword of Perseus, he sliced it in half. Christiano looked at Pelleas, frowning.

"Carnicus, please help him…" Christiano said.

"Why should I?" Carnicus said, smiling at him. "Now I have you all to myself." Christiano glared at him. "Alright. No need to curse me with your gaze!" Carnicus approached Pelleas, wrapping his arms around his waist. He then leaned in and kissed him.

"What are you doing?!" Christiano shouted. Carnicus broke the kiss to look back at Christiano.

"Oh, nothing you should get so upset about!" Carnicus laughed. He then pulled away and lightly tapped Pelleas with his sword. The stone crumbled and Pelleas returned, wiping his lips.

"You pervert!" Pelleas cried. Carnicus began to walk away, laughing.

"You're a beautiful man," Carnicus admitted. "I just don't like you." Pelleas took out his book and it floated up, beginning to shoot beams of lightning at Carnicus. Carnicus dodged every single one, getting closer. When he got close, he closed the book and then snatched it, using his other arm to pull Pelleas in for another kiss. Pelleas began to feel drunk. He opening his mouth, feeling Carnicus' tongue snatching blood from him. Christiano became enraged. He used his whip to wrap around Carnicus and pull him away. Carnicus dropped Pelleas' book and stumbled back, turning around to glare at Christiano. Blood ran down Pelleas' chin. He wiped it away, smiling drunkenly.

"Now is NOT the time for these sort of things—these perverted things, Carnicus!" Christiano yelled. Pelleas slowly picked up his book. Carnicus wiped his mouth clean.

"I needed a little energy was all. Just a little," Carnicus replied. Suddenly Pelleas stumbled into Carnicus' back.

"C-curse you…" Pelleas said. Carnicus looked back, smiling. Christiano huffed and released Carnicus, walking ahead with Virgil. Suddenly, he felt something grab his boot. His eyes immediately shot down to see the hand of some kind of zombie drenched in black water. Christiano whipped the zombie, who was trying to get onto the bridge, who fell apart and fell back into the water. A little white orb floated out of the water, disappearing into the sky.

"Graves of the Forgotten. I suppose they weren't as lucky as the Alighieri family, hm?" Carnicus said, standing right behind him. Pelleas caught up. They crossed the bridge to see that all around them, zombies were emerging from the water.

" _Bodies thrown to the marsh to be forgotten; perhaps they were the less fortunate. There are also Gorgon heads that seem to jump out at you. The undead rise from the black waters, perhaps full of rage, intending to drag us down with them into the abyss."_

Carnicus took out his sword, destroying any Gorgon heads that jumped out. Pelleas used his thunder spells to strike the water and stop the undead from getting too close. Christiano whipped any that got near. Virgil clawed them until they fell apart. They would run across from bridge to bridge, trying to get out of the marsh.

Suddenly, they arrived at a large, black lake. The sound of frogs had grown silent.

"It really does smell…" Pelleas commented. "Here especially."

"Full of old blood," Carnicus said. "More than a hundred men must have died here…"

"Well, let us make our way around it so we may continue north," Christiano said as he began to walk along the sand.

Suddenly, a large, red monster surfaced, glaring at them. It was a long-necked creature with the face of a serpent. All of them weren't too nervous, but when seven more heads rose out of the water, they became a tad hesitant in attacking it.

"Well, here's the hydra that Charon mentioned," Carnicus said, chuckling.

"All of you know the story of the hydra, correct? How are we going to do this?" Pelleas asked.

"Well, I don't plan to chop off any of its heads, if that's what you mean…" Christiano said.

"What a shame. Probably would have chopped all of those heads off with one swipe!" Carnicus said, frowning.

"Proud, aren't we, Carnicus?" Christiano said back, looking annoyed. He hadn't gotten over what he had done to Pelleas earlier.

Pelleas sighed. He walked onto the sand and began to quickly undress. When Christiano realized what he was doing, he turned his back.

"Pelleas, what are you doing?!" Christiano cried, his face flushed.

"Yes, now is not the time to go for a swim," Carnicus said, watching him.

Once Pelleas was nude, he whispered something in some foreign language unknown to the two of them. Virgil heard this and immediately ran to hide behind a willow tree. Christiano raised a brow. Suddenly, Pelleas began to transform. He knelt down, looking as if he was in pain. Then suddenly, in a matter of seconds, he transformed into a large, black wolf with icy blue eyes and broken chains around his neck. Christiano turned around and gasped. Even Carnicus was surprised—though he did his best to appear as if nothing fazed him. Pelleas, now in his new form, ran ahead onto the water, creating little islands of ice with each step. He rushed up to the hydra and leapt up into the air. One of the heads tried to attack him, but he just jumped on its head and ran down his neck to his back. He began to bite and scratch at the hydra's body. One of the hydra's heads bent back to bite at him, but Pelleas dodged. Pelleas' body then became completely incased in ice. When another head tried to bite him, the ice exploded into needles that went flying into its mouth. The head roared in pain, bleeding from the mouth. Slowly, the blood dripping from its mouth began to freeze and the head itself was turning black; little by little, the body of the hydra was getting darker. Each head tried to bite him, but Pelleas kept on repeating the process. The seventh head then picked up Pelleas and threw him across the water.

"Pelleas!" Christiano cried out of concern. Pelleas got up and then lowered himself. All of his fur stood up and without any kind of warning, he shot a giant beam of ice out of his mouth at the hydra. The hydra began to become encased in ice, the ice quickly creeping up its body. The hydra let out one final roar of pain before it was frozen in ice.

" _Pelleas has turned into a black wolf, with some kind of power over ice! He runs across the water with grace! He fought the hydra, a seven-headed serpent-like creature that lives in a black lake full of old blood. The beast is now frozen in the middle of the lake…"_

Carnicus' scythe appeared in his hands. He then ran up to the frozen hydra, running on the water.

" _Carnicus is so fast, he can run on water. In a way, I feel as if it is mocking God."_

He got onto its back and with one great swing, he cut the hydra's body in half, it exploding into ice crystals.

" _At this moment, I feel useless, as a dark sage and a vampire have defeated the hydra… but what else could I have done? Whipped it until it was bleeding all over, sure… It is not a damned creature, but one of myth. But then what? I suppose this was the best way to defeat it..."_

When Carnicus and Pelleas returned to the shore, Pelleas growled at him.

"Oh, shut up, Pelleas!" Carnicus snapped. Pelleas then walked up to Christiano. He sat down in his pile of clothes and looked at him.

"What is this, Pelleas?"

"A curse, for sure," Carnicus said. "A dark sage's curse." Pelleas made a whimpering sound. Christiano knelt down to pet his muzzle.

"It is just a spell. Don't be ashamed," Christiano said softly. He then withdrew his hand and Pelleas began to transform into his old self again. Christiano turned his back to him once more. Pelleas then hugged him, resting his face up against Christiano's back; he blushed.

"Get dressed already," Carnicus snapped. Pelleas let go and did so.

"I am dressed now…" Pelleas said softly. Christiano turned to him.

"What… were you?"

"A Fenrir—a beast of legend from far north. Carnicus is right in a way… It was a curse… The dark sage whose blood I bathed in was jealous that 'a man prettier than his own granddaughter' was chosen to be the next dark sage of the kingdom."

"I see… Well, like what I said before, 'it is just a spell.' And a good one—it rendered the hydra helpless," Christiano said. "Thank you." He smiled. Pelleas nodded and smiled back. Carnicus was glaring.

"I'm the one who obliterated the thing!" Carnicus cried.

"Yes, you did," Pelleas said, smirking at him. Carnicus' glare intensified. Virgil came out from the tree and joined them.

"Where did you go, Virgil?" Christiano asked. Virgil looked over at Pelleas and then back up at Christiano. "Don't tell me that you're scared of Pelleas now!" Virgil let out a huff and then began to walk along the sand, heading north.

The four of them resumed destroying any Gorgon heads and undead that popped up. When the land began to grow dryer and the willow trees grew smaller, they saw some small mountains ahead of them.

"What did he say again? 'Mountains of the Minotaurs?'" Carnicus asked.

"I believe so. Another creature from the ancient world…" Christiano answered.

"Yes. Perhaps we are in Hades' world after all? Each thing we come across, the Greeks have spoken about…" Pelleas commented.

"You are correct. Perhaps Dracula has connected our world and this world… So much power and he has yet to awaken…" Christiano said, frowning.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Traversing the Cursed Lands

The four of them climbed the rocky incline.

"Minotaurs… What a strange lot they are!" Carnicus said, laughing through his teeth.

"I would mistake you for a snake if it weren't for the fact you were walking beside me," Pelleas said, sounding annoyed.

"We must be careful… Half bull, half man… You just never know what part's brain exists between its horns," Christiano said.

"I think they're all stupid. All they know how to do is—" Suddenly, Carnicus caught an arrow in his hand. Instantly, Christiano and Pelleas ducked. "As I was saying, all they know how to do is make a ruckus and shoot arrows."

"They must have seen us! But where are they?!" Pelleas cried as he heard more arrows striking the wall of rock behind them. Some were even on fire! Carnicus simply kept on dodging each one, unfazed.

"I believe they're coming from across the River Styx," Carnicus said, pointing at a crowd of them.

"We must make haste!" Christiano said, running with his body close to the ground. Pelleas followed him. Carnicus kept on either grabbing the arrows or dodging them.

" _This Carnicus is able to dodge the arrows of the Minotaurs, who seem to be on the other side of the River Styx. Why do they shoot at us? I do not know… But since Minotaur has been against man ever since the words breathed life into their myth, I would guess that Dracula is taking full advantage of the stupid beasts' wrathful nature."_

The small rain of arrows soon stopped as they made their way down the mountain. Just when they thought they were safe, they saw a group of Minotaurs just beyond them.

"The cliff will not allow us to sneak past them…" Pelleas whispered.

"Then we simply must get close to them," Carnicus said casually.

"They'll shoot us before we do! Maybe you _can_ , but unlike you, we don't possess your ungodly speed!" Pelleas whispered back.

"We must get through. It's as simple as that, Pelleas," Christiano said. "Besides… you have proven to be quite a powerful person. You only lack confidence." Pelleas blushed.

"Alright… I'll see what I can do…" Pelleas thought to himself. He then took out his book and it floated up in front of him. It opened up and began to shoot beams of lightning at the group. Some were caught off guard and turned into ashes. They began shooting their arrows, but Christiano used his whip to defend them as they charged. Virgil dodged with ease and attacked some off to the right by the wall of the cliff. Pelleas continued to shoot from afar. Carnicus took out his scythe and began slashing the Minotaurs in half, turning them into stone.

" _So, with Carnicus' scythe, it can turn the monsters of myth, the Minotaurs, back into monsters of myth in the form of stone. So far, his scythe can either cut things in half or turn things into stone. Very peculiar. This vampire wields a power to be frightened."_

Christiano beat the Minotaurs until they suddenly turned into stone.

" _I made a mistake. It seems that the Minotaurs turn to stone when defeated. It is not just Carnicus' scythe. Now I am a tad relieved that his scythe is no more than a scythe."_

Just when they thought they had defeated the group of Minotaurs, one large one ran up to the hill and shot Carnicus with a crossbow, pinning him in the shoulder into the wall. Carnicus let out a blood curdling scream as blood ran down his arms like a stream.

"Halt, Belmont and dark sage!" the Minotaur spoke. Christiano and Pelleas stopped fighting. Virgil ran over to Carnicus. "I cannot let that damned creature continue!" Out of the river climbed zombies on fire, making their way up the mountain. "He must burn in the River Styx, just like the rest!"

"Who are you to say what should or shouldn't happen to me?!" Carnicus shouted.

"I am the gate keeper of this world!" the Minotaur said. He then shot a couple more arrows into Carnicus, Carnicus letting out another scream.

"Please, guardian, you must understand, though he is one of the damned, he is helping us in our quest to destroy Dracula! You must not crucify him!" Christiano pleaded. Pelleas said nothing.

"Belmont, though your words are that of mercy, and your blood is that of all that is good, I must—" The Minotaur turned around and began shooting the flaming zombies behind them. Christiano wasn't sure what to do. He then took some vials, filled them with holy water, and threw them at the zombies. The zombies then died a second death, sinking into the ground. Pelleas walked over to Carnicus during this and smiled.

"You think you have Christiano tricked! Not for a moment do I take your trembling soul to be innocent! He'll see what you really are, dark sage!" Carnicus said, cursing him. Pelleas smiled wider and pushed an arrow in deeper with a single finger. Carnicus squeezed his eyes shut. Virgil growled at Pelleas. Pelleas turned around and walked towards Christiano and the Minotaur again. They had defeated the zombies and resumed talking.

"Can't you make an exception?" Christiano asked.

"What kind of guard would I be if I did, hm?" the Minotaur replied.

"If you do not let him pass… I will be forced to destroy you."

"Unlike my bewildered soldiers, I will not turn to stone, if that is what you're thinking," he said, loading his crossbow. "I shall not let him pass."

"Then so be it!" Christiano said, stepping back. "Pelleas! I'll need you!"

"No," Pelleas answered. Christiano turned around to look at him, looking shocked.

" _No_? But why, Pelleas?" Christiano asked.

"Because he has been nothing more than a curse to us," he said back. Christiano glared.

"Pelleas, I trust you to be my friend! Why are you doing this?!" Christiano cried.

"Because—" Suddenly, the Minotaur fell over, wrestling with Carnicus. He had his teeth deep into his neck. When the Minotaur managed to pluck him off of him, Carnicus would attack him again, draining him. Christiano looked back at where Carnicus had been pinned, seeing bloody arrows still stuck in the wall of rock. When he looked back at the Minotaur, he was bleeding all over. He finally was able to throw Carnicus, who landed on his feet.

"Enough!" the Minotaur cried. "I shall let you pass! I cannot die. I must lead my people, as aimless as they are!"

"Thank you," Carnicus said clearly.

" _Carnicus drank the blood of the Minotaur. He must be very powerful now. The Minotaur, guardian of the lost, has decided to let us all pass…_

 _Why was Pelleas so cruel? Was it 'jealousy,' just like Carnicus had said it was?"_

Christiano approached the Minotaur and handed him two vials of holy water.

"Put this on your wounds and they shall heal," Christiano said quietly.

"You truly are a soldier of good. I only wonder why you choose one of the damned to be one of yours," The Minotaur said, setting his crossbow down and taking the vials from him. Christiano then ran over to Carnicus, looking at him. He was a bloody mess. Virgil stood by his side.

"Carnicus… are you alright?" Christiano asked in a gentle voice.

"Yes. I can feel my wounds healing as we speak…" Carnicus answered.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could have known—" Suddenly, Christiano stopped—Carnicus had reached up to touch his cheek.

"It's okay, Christiano," he replied softly. Christiano blushed. He was feeling strange. Pelleas, whom he considered his friend, was against him, when the vampire, Carnicus, was being gentle. Christiano placed a hand over his hand. Once Pelleas saw this, his eyes grew wide; he realized the consequences of his words just then.

"Shall we rest?" Christiano asked.

"I… I don't want to," Carnicus answered. Christiano then looked over at Pelleas, who was not facing them now. Instead, he was watching the Minotaur heal his wounds. He frowned. "I want to make it down this mountain to that forest there… Then we can rest, I suppose…"

"Alright. We'll go slow," Christiano replied. Carnicus ran his hand down his cheek, down to his chest, leaving a print of his hand in blood on the cloth. He withdrew it and then began to slowly walk towards Pelleas. Carnicus and Virgil walked past him and the Minotaur. Christiano followed him and stopped by Pelleas' side. Christiano took his hand, covered with Carnicus' blood, and held Pelleas' hand. Pelleas looked over at Christiano, who was frowning. He then slowly let go and continued on. Pelleas looked at his bloody hand. He felt as cold as ice; he was internally panicking. Had he lost Christiano to the vampire after all? He followed Christiano, thinking to himself as they made their way down the mountain.

The four of them were silent when they saw that they had entered a forest with smooth bark. Carnicus, who was still bleeding a bit, sat down against one of the trees. Christiano ran over to him.

"Carnicus?" Christiano said with a look of concern.

"I just need to rest a bit. Not every wound has healed, though the Minotaur's blood makes me feel strong."

"I'm sure. You drank from a guardian after all…" Christiano thought to himself, wondering what he would be like if he actually killed the Minotaur and drained him of all of his blood. Pelleas sat down against a tree across from them. He then took out his book and began to read.

"Are you tired as well, Pelleas?" Christiano asked, looking over at him.

"A tad," he said with a sigh.

"Then let us rest…" Christiano said, sitting against a third tree. Virgil went over to Carnicus and laid down on his side.

" _Virgil seems to really like Carnicus. I am beginning to think that these two have some kind of unworldly connection."_

After writing more about his companions, he began to draw a picture of the Minotaurs among the zombies on fire.

" _These men who burn have long been dead, resting in the bloody River Styx. Like the zombies of the Marsh of the Hydra, it seems that they wished to kill us as well. They are under Dracula's dominion for sure."_

…Hours passed, and somehow, they had not been attacked by anything. Pelleas' moment of betrayal weighed heavily on Christiano. Carnicus was still sleeping when Christiano stood up to look around them. Pelleas did the same. Just then, Pelleas spoke up.

"Christiano, I'm sorry for what I said earlier," Pelleas apologized. "I just wanted him to feel… well… not so powerful, for once."

"I see…" Christiano said. "Well, I forgive you. But I'm sure Carnicus, knowing his nature, may not do the same…"

"I understand," Pelleas said softly. "Christiano… I just… don't want you getting hurt."

"Are you saying I need protection, Pelleas?" Christiano said, looking over at him with genuine curiosity.

"No, it's not that. I just…" He swallowed hard. "I don't want anyone to hurt you."

"Getting hurt is inevitable, Pelleas. Now, Carnicus has proven to be a friend so far. You shouldn't worry about him," Christiano said. Pelleas bit his lip. Christiano then walked in front of him to look at him directly. "Worry no more, Pelleas." Christiano placed his hand under his chin. Pelleas blushed. Was he going to do it? Was he? He felt his heart skipping. Suddenly, Christiano made a disgusted expression and Pelleas was yanked from behind. A female demon was staring at him. She had large, black bat wings. She had long, straight black hair. She was pale and wore a dark red lipstick. Her eyes were completely black. She was wearing a tight, black strapless top with tears across her breasts. She was wearing a long black skirt made of lace. She grabbed Pelleas by the face and kissed him. He stood there, blinking, wondering why this woman was kissing him. She slowly broke the kiss and made a face.

"Now why didn't that work?" she said, looking confused.

"What do you mean?" Pelleas cried, wiping the lipstick from his lips.

"You are supposed to be nothing more than a husk! Why, all men die from my kiss!" she said, looking a little embarrassed. "Wait a moment… Are you a woman?!"

"No!" Pelleas said, sounding frustrated.

"Then that must mean—oh…" she said, making an express of disgust. "You're..." Pelleas suddenly turned red.

"Don't say it!" Pelleas cried.

"Say what?" Christiano asked, raising a brow.

"Forget it! She's a demon! Just whip her or something!" Pelleas said, completely flustered.

"Oh, I like whips quite a bit!" the demon said. "My name is Lillian and I think I would like to play with you instead!" she said, pointing to Christiano. Christiano took out his whip and cracked it. "Ooh! I'm excited now!"

" _I have heard of this type of demon. She comes from Hell in a place that is dominated by those whose lives were consumed with lust. A 'succubus?' She tried to steal Pelleas' soul from him, but I think that because he is not attracted to her, it didn't work. Then again, it would still work if he was attracted to women. Perhaps… Pelleas does not walk that way. Then again, who am I to judge? God is the only judge and I shall leave it to him."_


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Damnation

Carnicus snapped awake with the cracking of the whip, looking over at Lillian.

"Oh. One of those," he said, smiling. He stood up now. "How about giving me a little kiss? Virgins know nothing," Carnicus said with open arms. Lillian stared at him.

"I'm sorry. I'm not fond of seasoned men," she answered. Carnicus almost pouted. Christiano ignored his adolescent behavior and focused on finding a weakness. He was sure her arrogance would certainly help her towards her death.

Suddenly, her nails grew long and turned into claws. Christiano quirked a brow. Without a moment's hesitation, she launched herself at him, using her wings to hover as she swiped at him. Christiano waited for her to get within his range and rolled to the side. He cracked his whip and hit her in the waist. She let out a cry.

"No ordinary whip! This whip is of a virgin!" she cried. Christiano sighed.

"I know, I know," Christiano replied, feeling a tad embarrassed.

"No! It is not you! It is of a woman!" she cried. Christiano turned his head and looked at the whip in his hand. What did he know about the Vampire Killer whip? All he knew is that it hurt her and wasn't some kind of instrument of entertainment to her. She let out a small growl. "Alright! I'll cut you up another way!" she said

Lillian's lace skirt slowly disappeared from the ground up, revealing her porcelain legs. Christiano flushed lightly; what was she doing? She grinned and suddenly, out of the ground came giant, black scissors. With each step she took, the scissors closed and opened, cutting through the dirt like it was paper; of course, the scissors were heading Christiano's way. Once again, Christiano waited for her attack to reach him to suddenly roll to the side. Christiano began to run as the scissors turned on one blade and began to pursue him. Carnicus couldn't help but to laugh; as expected, this annoyed Pelleas. Pelleas then used a spell to freeze the scissors and Christiano turned around to whip them until they shredded apart like cloth. Lillian's skirt came back.

"You can't stop me that easily!" Lillian shouted, her skirt disappearing again.

She used her scissors to attack again, but this time, Christiano ran between the blades when they were open and whipped her in the legs. She kneeled to hold her bleeding ankles in pain; the scissors disappeared again. Suddenly, copies of her appeared, surrounding Christiano. He looked around, not sure what to expect.

"Christiano!" Pelleas cried. This snapped Christiano back to the moment. He spun himself around, creating a whirlwind, his whip hitting each image of her in the stomach. The images slid back with an expression on pain on their faces, forming the real Lillian. She then took a deep breath and let out a loud scream that melted into a roar of a lion's. Christiano held his head, the sound causing him to lose balance, Pelleas having a similar reaction. Virgil roared back and pounced onto her suddenly. She fell over as Virgil began to claw at her face.

"Not my face! Not my face! Get off me, beast!" she cried, trying to cover her face with her arms. She kicked Virgil, causing him to jump off of her. He kept his distance, hissing at her. She rose slowly, looking furious. Her arms and face had scratches all across it, making it look like she had been crying blood. Suddenly, Carnicus appeared next to her.

"Ready to give up? I'm sure if you'll continue, you'll lose more than that pretty face of yours," Carnicus said, teasingly. She suddenly whipped herself around and scratched him across the face. Small cuts on his cheek began to bleed, but due to the power he absorbed from the Minotaur earlier, they healed before the blood could drip. Carnicus let out a laugh and suddenly appeared next to Christiano. "She's all yours, Christiano. Use that virgin whip of yours to send her back to Hell, wherever that is." He walked past him now, resting his back up against a tree; he was back to spectating.

"Promise me that you'll let us continue on our journey and I promise you that I will not pursue you further," Christiano stated, taking out his cross and holding it out in front of him.

"Mercy?! How dare you! Who do you think you are?!" Lillian shouted. She suddenly disappeared.

"Was that it?" Pelleas said softly, looking around. The three of them waited for something to happen. Christiano pocketed his cross.

"Perhaps she fled from us…" Christiano replied. Suddenly, Lillian came out of thin air and threw her arms around Christiano's neck. Lillian leaned forward and kissed him, her long tongue snaking between his lips and into his mouth. Christiano dropped his whip, feeling his energy leaving him. Carnicus and Pelleas couldn't believe how they weren't able to detect her location until now; moreover, their blood was boiling with jealousy. Pelleas used his "broken heart" spell on her, but nothing happened; Lillian felt no attachment to Christiano after all. Carnicus disappeared and appeared behind her, swinging his scythe into her side. She broke the kiss to let out a pained noise. She let go of Christiano and Carnicus ran forward, pinning her up against a tree with the toe of his scythe. She let out screams as Carnicus continued to push his blade into her.

"This is how I like penetration!" Carnicus said, eyes blazing bright like a wildfire. Christiano turned around slowly, a tad weakened by Lillian's attack, looking at the two of them. He looked disturbed; he wasn't used to seeing violence against women. Pelleas was so uneasy, he spoke up.

"It's enough!" Pelleas cried. "Don't you see that she's lost?!" Carnicus growled. He pulled his blade out of her, her hands instantly rushing to hold the wound he had made in her side to stop the bleeding.

"Carnicus, he's right. Enough," Christiano said.

Carnicus turned around to face them and with one swift movement, he cut off Lillian's head with his scythe. Her body stumbled forth, as if there was still life in her, only to fall to the ground. Her body and her head, once it hit the ground, turned to piles of bloody, black lace. Pelleas stared at what Lillian had left behind, while Christiano picked up his whip.

"Carnicus, have you no heart for a woman suffering?!" Christiano said with a growl.

"Did you not feel the life leave your lips cold when she kissed you? Do not let a moment's lust cloud your brilliant judgement! She was going to kill you… and you know that!" Carnicus replied, looking unamused. Christiano's eyes fell.

"I suppose you are right," Christiano said quietly. Carnicus picked up some bloody lace and began to suck on it. Christiano turned his back to him. "Let us leave this place."

…The three of them continued to travel north, the forest of smooth trees becoming denser. Everything was quiet until they approached a clearing. The sound of people screaming surrounded them.

"What are all of these screams coming from?" Christiano said, looking around them. Pelleas frowned as he approached a tree. He put his ear against it.

"From the very bark of these trees…" Pelleas stated. "Perhaps these were souls who were petrified?"

"No. They were damned," Carnicus answered. He reached over to a tree by his side and snapped a twig off of a branch, blood dripping like sap. "See?" Pelleas swallowed hard.

"What isn't damned here?" Christiano said, letting out a sigh. Suddenly, a woman's guttural cry came from the sky. They all looked up, Pelleas rolling to the side in time to avoid a harpy's attack. The three of them looked up to see a small group of harpies staring down at them from high branches. One of them snapped a twig and sucked the blood out of it like it was a straw.

" _Lillian the succubus… Ah, she was killed in such a cruel way…"_

" _These trees were once souls, perhaps some of Milan's, but were cursed by Dracula and petrified. The harpies, women with the faces of roosters, drink their blood from their bark, torturing them. What have these souls done to deserve such a thing?"_

"These ones are especially damned. These are Milan's suicides," Carnicus continued. Pelleas turned to him, brows furrowed.

"How would you know?!" Pelleas cried.

"Can't you tell?" Carnicus said. Pelleas frowned.

"You seem to know a lot about this 'world' we're in…" Christiano said, a bit suspicious now. Carnicus' eyes fell.

"A new tree grows here every day. In their early stages, these 'souls' still have a face, warped by the bark. They can talk to you. All they speak of is their regret. I've been here for a long time, remember?" Carnicus said in a somewhat somber tone. Suddenly, a harpy came at Carnicus. Without any effort at all, he grabbed it with one hand by the neck. He squeezed her neck until the she died. He then dropped the corpse to the ground.

" _I feel as if Carnicus is growing crueler as we continue on. I think he is still angry from earlier—whether it be because of Pelleas or because of the kiss the succubus managed to steal from me… Maybe the idea of the forest of suicides upsets him? Regardless, because he is already condemned, perhaps nothing matters to him anymore… Except… me?"_

The harpies let out cries and swooped down on them, trying to grab them with their talons. Christiano jumped in the air and smacked the harpies until they died and fell to the ground in a burst of feathers. Pelleas used his thunderbolt attack to kill them before they got close and Carnicus leapt on branches to attack; Virgil did nothing, licking his paw.

"Thank you for the help, Virgil!" Christiano said a tad annoyed. Virgil did not even display any gestures of acknowledgement; in a way, he was no more than a large house cat.

Another small flock of harpies came at them.

"Den of the harpies…" Carnicus said, biting into one of them. He sucked her dry, leaving her body to dangle off the branch.

"They just keep on coming! Like the locusts of Egypt!" Pelleas cried.

"Let us run deeper into the forest!" Christiano said. He wanted to leave the clearing so they weren't as open to attack. They all ran, the harpies trying to pursue them, but their large wings did not allow them to weave between the trees.

Suddenly, one very large harpy flew towards Christiano, aiming to pluck him from the ground. Christiano heard the sound of her wings flapping getting closer. She was about to grab Christiano by the shoulders when Carnicus jumped behind him and was instantly grabbed and pulled up high into the sky. Christiano and Pelleas stopped, looking up.

"Carnicus!" Christiano cried.

"She headed back to the clearing!" Pelleas said, panting.

"We must go back!" Christiano said, running back the way they came without a single moment's hesitation.

They returned to the clearing to see a group of harpies clustered together. They looked as if they were feeding. Carnicus' smothered cries could be heard from within their circle. Christiano's brown eyes grew light, his body instantly emitting an aura of rage. He ran up to them at the ungodly speed and whipped all of them, freeing Carnicus. When the harpies fell to the ground, Christiano slammed his hand onto the ground.

"GRAND CROSS!" Christiano shouted. Suddenly, a giant cross of light appeared on the ground under the harpies, shooting light up towards the sky; the harpies practically disintegrated. Christiano ran over to Carnicus, seeing that he was bleeding all over. Pelleas gasped, actually looking concerned.

"Oh my…" Pelleas said quietly. Christiano knelt down and put his arms under Carnicus.

"Carnicus… Are you alright?" Christiano said softly.

"Cursed harpies…" Carnicus said, gazing up at the sky. Christiano picked him up and then placed him up against a tree.

"Try to stand…" Christiano said. Carnicus' head hung. Christiano frowned, putting his hands on his shoulders. "Try to stand," Christiano said again.

"Maybe if I drink the cursed blood from the trees… No… That would be too cruel…" Carnicus said, chuckling. Christiano frowned.

"You _do_ care..." Christiano said, looking a bit surprised.

"Something came back to me earlier, when I choked that harpy… I remembered that my mother had killed herself… I don't remember what she looks like, but I remember seeing her feet dangling from the ceiling… I wonder if she's here, among the others…" Carnicus sighed. Christiano felt sad. Virgil walked up to Pelleas and sat down next to him. He then head butted his hand. Pelleas gently pet his head.

"Sympathy? For me, Virgil?" Pelleas said quietly.

"Drink of me. My blood is of a Belmont's. I am sure that it is far stronger than of anything you will find here," Christiano whispered, getting close. He pushed part of his chainmail aside and showed his white neck. Carnicus was instantly filled with lust.

"No… I've drained you enough…" Carnicus said, sighing again.

"Do it," Christiano said, closing his eyes. Carnicus blushed lightly. He reached up to run his bloody fingers through Christiano's soft, long blonde hair. He gave it a little tug, tipping Christiano's head back and then leaned in, sinking his teeth into his neck. Christiano blushed.

" _Why are you being so gentle with me?"_

Pelleas turned his back to them. Carnicus wrapped his other arm around Christiano's waist as he drank; the cuts along his arms began to heal. Christiano suddenly let out a moan; Carnicus' gripped held him tighter. Pelleas hated this. He ran into the forest and rested his back up against a tree. Christiano continued to moan. Pelleas covered his ears. Virgil walked up to him again and stared at him.

"Please…" Pelleas said, looking quite upset now.

Carnicus slowly withdrew, not a single drop of blood on his lips. Christiano, who felt dizzy and felt like he was going to fall, clung to Carnicus.

"I'm sorry… I am truly a damned creature," Carnicus said. Christiano looked up at him. Though he was paler than before, his face was still flushed. His eyes were glazed over with lust.

"Kiss me?" Christiano said. Carnicus shook his head.

"You'll be back to normal soon," Carnicus said. Christiano suddenly grabbed Carnicus by the chin and kissed him. Carnicus didn't stop him. He wanted this to happen. However, it wasn't because Christiano truly wanted him. Or perhaps his drunken actions were really sober urges he repressed? Did it matter? Carnicus held the kiss until Christiano pulled away.

"I think you're the one who will need help standing," Carnicus said, looking in Pelleas' direction. "Pelleas! Come help!" Carnicus cried. Pelleas, who hated Carnicus more than ever now, walked over to the two of them, and helped Christiano head north back into the forest…


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Burning Souls

The group discovered another mausoleum, this time for the family by the name of "Veneziano," which made Christiano quite nervous; it was his family name after all. Everyone except for Virgil went inside. Christiano was hoping that they would find more holy water, when they discovered a fountain with clear water and piles of various types of armor surrounding it. They all looked confused. Carnicus dipped his finger in the water to test if it was holy water, which didn't burn him, so it was just water. Christiano sighed, hoping that it would be holy water blessed with another saint, but he would just have to continue to rely on the archangel Michael and St. Peter's water. Carnicus went over to the pile of armor and began to go through it.

"What are you doing?" Pelleas asked.

"Seeing if there is any good armor here. I am a mess," Carnicus answered.

"Not a bad idea…" Christiano said, approaching Carnicus.

"But… it might still have dark emotions attached to it!" Pelleas cried.

"The better for defending against the darkness," Christiano said, looking over at him. Pelleas waved his hand dismissively.

"I think I'll stick with my robes… But I hope you don't mind if I just wash them while we're here," he said, beginning to undress. "Don't look!" Christiano immediately turned his back to him, flushing in the face. Carnicus stopped picking through the pile to watch him, smiling. Pelleas walked into the fountain and began to scrub his clothes, the blood mixing with the water. Carnicus could smell the blood as if it was revived by the water itself. He let out a small gasp and got up, walking towards Pelleas.

"What are you doing?!" Christiano growled.

"My clothes are just as stained as his. The smell of old blood disgusts me. I am going to wash my clothes too," Carnicus said, beginning to strip down as well.

"Can't you wait?!" said Christiano, sounding jealous now. Carnicus let out a small laugh. He got into the water and began to scrub his own clothes next to Pelleas. Pelleas suddenly gasped and shoved him.

"What are you doing here?!" Pelleas shouted, turning his back to him.

"The same as you. Washing my clothes," Carnicus answered, smirking.

"Don't you see I am bare?! Get out!" Pelleas cried.

"You have a lovely body," Carnicus said, approaching him from behind.

"Stop looking at me!" Pelleas cried. Just then, Carnicus wrapped his arms around Pelleas' neck.

"You were jealous earlier, weren't you? When he kissed me? Well, I can kiss you too, if you would like," Carnicus said in a flirty tone of voice. Pelleas flushed.

"I wasn't jealous! You vex me, demon! So very much, it gives me headaches!" Pelleas said back.

"If you kiss me, I'll leave you alone." He then leaned in and whispered in Pelleas' ear. "If you let me have sex with you, I'll give up on Christiano altogether."

"But… I don't want to lose my virginity to you…" Pelleas whispered back, squeezing his eyes shut.

"You love him, don't you?" Carnicus said slyly. Pelleas nodded subtly. "Then do it."

"NO!" Pelleas cried. This caught Christiano's attention, causing him to turn around.

"You don't have to yell. I am not the type to take the unwilling…" Carnicus said, letting out a sigh.

"That's a surprise," Pelleas replied, trying to compose himself. Carnicus pulled away and resumed washing his clothes in silence, as did Pelleas. Christiano was mildly annoyed as to how close they had gotten, but he decided to dismiss it and go back to digging through the pile of armor Carnicus discovered.

A little while passed, and Christiano was done picking out armor that he wanted to equip. Carnicus had finished washing his clothes and picked out some as well.

"I think I'll go grab a rat and get dressed. All of that blood has made me hungry," Carnicus said, exiting the mausoleum. Christiano let a sigh out when he left.

"Thank God… Pelleas, are you alright?" Christiano asked, beginning to undress. Pelleas turned his back to him right away.

"Yes. Carnicus was just teasing me again," Pelleas replied.

"I could tell. Why did you let him get so close to you?"

"I didn't know he was in here with me. He moves so fast, even in water…" Pelleas looked up at his clothes, which he had hung up over a large cross to dry. Just then, Pelleas felt ripples hit his back. He turned around to see Christiano in the water with him now. Pelleas flushed, his eyes darting away. Christiano said nothing and began scrubbing his clothes.

"You know… I don't like this place at all. You see, I am not a true Belmont. I was adopted into the Belmont family. My real family name is 'Veneziano,' the same as the family here in this mausoleum."

"I see…" Pelleas said. He fell silent. He then summoned the courage to ask what had been on his mind since they reached the end of the forest. "Christiano… Why did you kiss him?"

"I was out of my mind," Christiano replied. "The succubus poisoned me, as did Carnicus… I feel like I've been tainted… To be honest with you, the cleanest I've felt in a long time is here in the bloody water with you." Pelleas blushed and approached him.

"Christiano… I… Like I said before, I just want to protect you… And I don't mean from these monsters… I mean…" Pelleas let out a sigh.

"I finally understand. Pelleas, I must confess to you… I am a sinner. I have killed people and now, I…" He shut his eyes. "I have lusted for men," Christiano said, his eyes opening and falling to gaze at his own reflection. Pelleas' reflection drew near to his. Christiano lifted his head to see Pelleas was looking at him.

"Christiano… I'm sorry…" Pelleas replied. He noticed he was taking a lot of breaths between his words. He was feeling conflicted; maybe having feelings for Christiano was wrong, and perhaps it was best he didn't know about them.

"Pelleas, I just—"

"I love you," Pelleas said, biting his lip. He leaned forward and kissed Christiano's cheek. Christiano then grabbed Pelleas by the chin and kissed him passionately. Pelleas closed his eyes and relaxed instantly… Christiano was the one to break the kiss. They looked into each other's eyes.

"Protect me," Christiano said to Pelleas softly.

"I will," Pelleas said.

…Carnicus was outside with a dead rat in his mouth. He spit it out when he saw Christiano and Pelleas emerge from the mausoleum. Their faces were both flushed. He knew that they hadn't been alone long enough for _something_ _serious_ to happen, but he was mad knowing that something _must have_ happened.

"So, are we ready now?" Carnicus said in an impatient tone of voice.

"Yes. I believe we are ready now. For the 'Burning Lands,' correct?" Christiano said, walking over to him.

"Yes. Follow me closely or you'll regret it," Carnicus warned. Pelleas quirked a brow.

Suddenly, the door to the mausoleum began to open. The three of them turned around to only see two red skeletons emerge.

"What? Those weren't in there before!" Christiano cried.

"I told you it was not a good idea to wear the armor of the dead… You have awakened them…" Pelleas said.

"They're just skeletons. Who cares?" Carnicus said, letting out a small laugh. Suddenly, voices came from them.

"My son! I'm so happy to see you!" A woman's voice said, echoing from inside the skull of one of them. Christiano froze.

"Christiano, what are you doing? Whip them apart already!" Carnicus said. Christiano did not move.

"Hug your mother, Christiano…" A man's voice came from the other. Both of them approached Christiano, arms out. Christiano stepped back.

"No! You can't be here!" Christiano shouted as tears began to fill his eyes. "You can't be! This is Hell! You can't be here!" Pelleas frowned.

"It's a trick, Christiano!" Pelleas cried. As the skeletons approached them, they began to grow fangs, black horns out of their heads, and large, black bat wings out of their backs.

"Come home, son. Come home…" the female voice said again. "We can all pick grapes together…"

"Stop it! Stop it! You're not my mother!" Christiano shouted back as he covered his ears with his hands.

"'Mother?' Christiano, did your parents—" Pelleas was cut off.

"No! They wouldn't be here! No! No! NO!" Christiano took out his whip and whipped them until they fell apart.

"My baby! My baby!" the female voice cried. Christiano was panting, the skeletons no more than silent bones on the ground. However, right before their eyes, the skeletons began to put themselves back together again.

"Why did you strike me, Christiano?" the female voice spoke again. Christiano's tears began to run down his face. He attacked them again in a fury, the bones being flung everywhere. But before they could even reach the ground, they flew around in the air and formed into the skeletons again. They were dangerously close to Christiano now, who was frozen again. Pelleas shot long beams of electricity from his book at them, but nothing happened. Just then, Carnicus jumped in front of Christiano and swung his scythe, the red skeletons disappearing in a white mist.

"Thank you…" the female voice whispered. Christiano fell to his knees, arms shaking.

"My parents… They died and went to Hell…" Christiano said with a tight throat.

"If they are as good as you are that was no more than a trick. Christiano, please…" Pelleas said, offering a hand to help him up.

"Someday, I'll be reunited with my parents, here in Dracula's world. I have disobeyed one of the Commandments and I shall return here," Christiano said, shaking still.

"Don't say that! I mean… I was baptized in the blood of a dark mage! If I died, it is possible to be one of the many burning in the bloody River Styx! We just can't say such things! Anything is possible! And that means good things too!" Pelleas cried. "Take my hand, Christiano." Christiano said nothing and did so, getting to his feet.

"To the Burning Lands," Carnicus said in a flat tone. He began to walk forward. Christiano, Pelleas, and Virgil followed him, silent…

They couldn't believe their eyes. Ahead of them was flat, scorched land with puffy, dark grey clouds in the sky, with fire raining down. Zombies on fire groaned in pain as they traversed the land.

"How are we ever going to pass?" Pelleas said in awe.

"I repeat myself. Follow me closely," Carnicus said. His scythe appeared in his left hand and he and Virgil walked forward, heading towards the storm. Christiano and Pelleas looked at each other, hesitant, and followed him.

Just when they though that a large ball of fire was going to strike them, it somehow bounced off of some invisible field around them onto the ground. Pelleas gasped.

"I told you that you would need me." Carnicus looked back at them, smirking.

"How is this possible?" Christiano said.

"This scythe allows me to do a lot of things. I found out that it protects me from this rain of fire when I was banished from Dracula's castle long ago."

"This weapon of yours is very powerful. Then again, you said it came from Dracula himself," Christiano said, looking at it. Suddenly, he saw a flaming, purple aura surrounding it. "Why is it engulfed in flames though?"

"Flames? What flames?" Carnicus asked, stopping to look at it. Virgil stared at it as well.

"I don't see anything," Pelleas added. Christiano squinted his eyes.

"You don't see it? Well, nevermind," Christiano said.

Suddenly, they saw someone rushing at them from the horizon.

"Who is that?" Pelleas asked. It did not take long for them to understand what they were looking at. What was rushing towards them was a suit of golden armor on fire. The armor stopped before them, talking to them.

"I am Cain. Who are you?" a voice said from the armor. "No, no, I know who you are… You are a Belmont," he said, pointing to Christiano. "What are you doing here? A Belmont surely cannot be damned to these lands."

"We are here to send Dracula back into slumber," Christiano replied.

"Have you not ventured far enough into this world? This is Hell—Dracula's land—and he simply will not rest with all of the power he has!" Cain cried.

"I will send this world back to the center of the Earth!" Christiano cried, showing him his whip.

"That whip… The Vampire Killer…" Cain said, drawing closer. Carnicus raised a brow.

"Yes. I will defeat Dracula just like he has been in the past," Christiano said. Suddenly, Cain took out a club with spikes in it. He then swung it at Christiano. Carnicus took both Christiano's and Pelleas' hand and dodged his attack; Virgil had no problem moving with them. Virgil hissed.

"What are you doing?!" Pelleas cried.

"If you defeat Dracula, I will truly burn. I cannot allow you to pass."

"Great," Carnicus said, sighing.

"How are we going to do this?" Christiano asked, looking at Carnicus.

"You'll have to defeat him within my scythe's shield," Carnicus answered. He slammed the base of his scythe into the ground, the invisible shield protecting them expanding. Cain charged at them, coated in flames. Carnicus only moved out of the way, making sure that the shield would still protect Christiano and Pelleas, who also dodged. Pelleas tried to summon a thunderbolt to strike Cain down, but nothing happened.

"This storm is so peculiar…" Pelleas said, sighing. He then decided to use a spell to freeze him in place, which only slowed him down. Christiano used this opportunity to whip at the armor, his attacks bouncing off.

"Not again…" Christiano said, sighing. Pelleas' spell wore off and Christiano dodged Cain's attack. "How am I going to—" Christiano opened his bag and grabbed his holy water. He took a vial and threw it at Cain. Cain let out a cry of pain, the flames around his body only disappearing for a moment before his armor ignited once more. Christiano's brows furrowed.

"Hmmm… This is a tricky one…" Carnicus admitted. Just then, Virgil roared loudly, causing everyone (except Carnicus, of course) to cover their ears. Cain fell back onto his rear with his hands on his head. Carnicus laughed.

"Laugh at me, will you? You are just as damned as I am!" Cain cried as he rose to his feet. Carnicus shrugged, smiling still. "You'll be going to Hell with me if this vampire hunter here defeats Dracula!" Carnicus' smile disappeared. What if he was right?

Pelleas suddenly began to undress. Christiano and Carnicus both flushed.

"What are you doing?! Demented human!" Cain said.

Suddenly, Pelleas transformed into the black wolf, frosty breath emitting from his mouth.

"A _fenrir_?" Cain said, taking a step back. All of the hairs on Pelleas' body stood up and he opened his mouth, shooting a large beam of icy breath at Cain. Cain was hit and the flames around him turned into mist. "The fire? It is gone?! Oh! Thank you!" Cain said, lowering his club. "Thank you so very much!" Christiano quirked a brow.

"I'm sorry, but you confuse me, Cain," Christiano said.

"I have been burning for so long. I sweat blood under this armor. Though I am sure I will be burning again once I leave you, this moment of relief is something truly worth living for. But what is 'living?' I am as alive as that vampire you keep by your side. You see, I was killed by a man like the animal I am—it was God's ultimate punishment. You see, I am the first murderer and have been condemned to wander these burning lands forever…" Pelleas transformed back into his normal self and got dressed. "But I do live."

"I see… Yes, I know of your tale. You killed your own brother due to jealousy," Christiano replied.

"Yes… And I wait for the day God will forgive me."

"He probably has. God is a god of mercy. You are probably just trapped in this demon's world," Christiano said as he reached into his bag. He took out his cross. "Here. This is proof of God's mercy."

"What is it?" Cain asked, taking it into his armored hands. "I feel its power…"

"God sent his own Son to die, as an ultimate blood sacrifice. Through his blood, you have been saved."

"I see… I have not seen this son, but this power… I believe in it. Please, you must help me," Cain begged. He kneeled before Christiano, offering the cross. Christiano took it from him and stepped back. He then threw it, it going right through Cain. It curved in the air to return to Christiano's hand. Cain fell onto his face and out of the armor flew a white ball of light, it piercing the heavens. When it disappeared, the clouds returned, continuing to rain fire. Carnicus smirked.

"Christiano… The Savior is in your name. Maybe someday you'll die and become a saint," Carnicus teased.

"Now is not the time, Carnicus!" Pelleas cried. Suddenly, Christiano just realized that they were surrounded by groaning zombies on fire.

"Yes. Let us be on our way," Christiano said, taking out his whip.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Land of Unrest

" _Cain, slayer of Abel, did not know of Christ. He was trapped in the Burning Land, burning for who knows how long. I wonder if I had not come across him, that he would burn for all of eternity. He was trapped in a suit of golden armor..."_

They left the burning land, the skies clear again to reveal the blood-red moon; it was very large.

"We must be getting close now…" Pelleas said quietly.

"Yes. I believe that was what we were told. Also, I can feel Dracula's power now," Christiano said.

"Yes…"

"We all can. Ugh, my feelings of hatred are boiling to the surface!" Carnicus cried. "By the way, do any of you hear the sound of water?"

"No?" Pelleas said, closing his eyes.

"Nor do I," Christiano said, closing his eyes as well. Suddenly, Pelleas turned to Carnicus.

"So, now that we have left the Burning Lands, are you going to go off on your own now?" Pelleas said, smiling.

"Not at all. I want to see Dracula again, after all," Carnicus answered.

"Well, why don't you go ahead of us? You're so fast after all…" Pelleas said, his smile growing. Carnicus smiled back.

"It sounds like you're trying to get rid of me, raven-haired one." He suddenly appeared in front of Pelleas, taking him by the chin. "Don't tell me that you don't like me anymore?" Pelleas flushed as he gazed into his eyes; his eyes were just like the red moon in the black sky. Christiano turned to look at them.

"Are you two done bickering yet?" Christiano said, sounding annoyed.

"Yes…" Pelleas said, sounding like he was in a trance. Christiano's brows furrowed.

"Pelleas, are you okay? Carnicus, what are you doing?"

"I just want to stay like this. Just for a moment. There's… something…" Suddenly, Pelleas saw what looked like the reflection of a skeleton in his eyes. Pelleas gasped and pulled away. He instantly grew pale and panted.

"What?" Carnicus said, looking confused.

"I saw… I don't know what I saw!" Pelleas cried, sounding scared. Christiano looked concerned.

"In my eyes?" Carnicus said, looking even more confused. His scythe appeared in his hands and he lifted it up, trying to use the blade to look at himself. "Ah, that's right. No reflection. I forgot," Carnicus said, letting out a laugh.

"Just look for yourself!" Pelleas cried, snapping his head around to look at Christiano. Christiano walked up to Carnicus and stared into his eyes. He saw the same thing Pelleas did—a skeleton gazing back at him.

"What?" Christiano stepped back.

"I don't understand. What is wrong with my eyes?" Carnicus said, beginning to look frustrated.

"I see… Skulls in your eyes," Christiano stated.

" _Skulls?_ What?" Carnicus said, looking between the two of them.

"Look! There are two skeletons now!" Pelleas cried.

"I see them too," Christiano said, staring at him. Carnicus frowned, almost looking embarrassed.

"Stop looking at me if you're so… so disgusted with me!" Carnicus cried. Christiano frowned.

"I'm sorry, Carnicus. I've just never seen something like this before. Please calm down." Christiano said, approaching him. Carnicus began to get nervous. Was getting closer to Dracula _changing_ him somehow? He felt a little more powerful, but because Christiano's whip had begun to emit its own power, he also felt weaker at the same time. Christiano wasn't going to turn on him last minute, was he?

"Stay away from me, Belmont!" Carnicus cried. Christiano's eyes widened.

"What? Are you frightened of me?" Christiano said, looking confused.

"Keep that whip away from me!" Christiano looked down at the whip attached to his hip.

"I'm not going to attack you, Carnicus. Calm down." Christiano continued to walk towards him, holding his hands up.

"That whip… It makes me ill…" Carnicus said, turning white. The veins in his face became more apparent. Christiano gasped. He suddenly ran up to him and hugged him. Carnicus was shaking in his arms. Pelleas was frowning; he was actually worried about Carnicus.

"Calm down," Christiano repeated himself. He looked into his eyes, seeing the skulls again. Carnicus let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry… I'm not sure what came over me," Carnicus said softly. Christiano pulled away.

"Let's keep on going," Christiano said, turning away from him. Christiano was nervous, but he didn't want to show it. Was the skull he was looking at his own? Anything was possible.

" _Carnicus' eyes have changed. What does this mean?"_

As they continued onward, the sound of water grew louder.

"Look!" Pelleas said, pointing. Ahead of them, off to the side of the trail they were on, was a black waterfall. "Dark water… Just like that marsh…"

"Yes. Black water, full of the blood of many men and beasts, flushed through the cracks of the cursed lands forever. This must be the aqueduct," Carnicus said. Christiano nodded, looking at the dilapidated arches and ruins of castles surrounded by moats ahead of them.

"You are right," Christiano said, walking forward. Virgil was in front of them; he suddenly stopped and hissed. "Something wrong, Virgil?" Suddenly, there was a buzzing noise. Out of the gloomy fog emerged the giant hornets that Christiano saw at the beginning of his adventure. He took out his whip and charged at them, whipping them to death.

"It seems you have everything under control," Carnicus said, watching him.

…They continued deeper into the aqueduct, which was actually more complicated than they thought. Christiano had begun to draw a map in his book. Giant hornets came at them, but they were easily defeated. Soon after, their attention was drawn to a group of reanimated corpses walking about, their heads hanging with black water flowing from where their eyes used to be and out of their mouths. They were slow at first, but when they noticed the group, they sped up, shuffling their feet in the shallow dark waters to attack. Pelleas knew that he couldn't use any of his electric attacks, afraid of electrocuting Christiano and Carnicus, but he used his dark spell of aging, aging the corpses to the point that they were nothing more—not even bone. Carnicus used his scythe, doing a couple of tricks of his own.

" _These corpses seem to be full of the dark water that flows through this aqueduct. They seem to be wallowing in their own misery until they see you. Then they move fast, hoping to drown you or, perhaps, poison you with the water that pours from their eyes and mouth Maybe they drowned here long ago?"_

" _Carnicus' scythe, when thrown, turns into a sickle and cuts through the air, through the enemy, as if he was harvesting a field. The 'sickle' always seems to return to him though, similar to the magic of the cross I throw. Very interesting…"_

…At one point, there were some new demons, either using whips of their own to attack, or throwing spears from heights. As usual, there were skeletons, dressed up in stained, tethered clothing, charging at them with rusted swords. Carnicus teamed up with Virgil, fighting back-to-tail, while Pelleas used his spells to freeze enemies in place, letting Christiano attack them with his whip.

…This went on for hours, each corner they turned and door they opened revealing a mob of hornets, demons, and skeletons ready to defend their afterlife. After their efforts to keep clean, fresh blood got all over them.

They finally reached a quieter place in the aqueduct by another black waterfall, pouring into a large lake. Pelleas laid down on the grass on his side, panting. Virgil laid down by the water, swatting at ripples lazily. Christiano leaned his back up against an arch, wiping sweat from his brow. Carnicus found a rat and sunk his teeth into it. They were exhausted.

"I don't understand how your ancestors did it, Christiano. Even _I_ am tired," Carnicus said before going back to sucking the rat dry.

"I don't think I've have a single moment to catch my breath…" Pelleas said.

"Yes, we're all tired, but we have to go on…" Christiano stated, not a single trace of energy left in his voice.

"You two should rest. Virgil and I can stand guard," Carnicus said, dropping the rat's corpse to the ground.

"No, no. We should really go." Christiano replied.

"Christiano," Pelleas called to him, "Come lay with me." Christiano looked over at him and flushed. He then sighed and walked over to him, laying on the grass on his back. He stared up at the moon.

"Pelleas… Do you really think I can defeat Dracula?" Christiano said quietly.

"Why not? Haven't your ancestors done so in the past?" Pelleas said, looking at him now. Christiano paused.

"That was _his_ family, two-hundred years ago," Christiano replied.

"But the blood of the Belmonts runs through your veins now. I know. What kind of dark sage would I be if I didn't?"

"This is true. But… all of this power… has come from Noah Belmont and his whip. I have no power of my own. Perhaps my faith in God is my only strength, but I feel as if even He cannot hear me down here."

"I believe in you," Pelleas said, letting out a yawn. He closed his eyes. Christiano smiled.

"Maybe I can do it."

"But I must tell you, I have a feeling that your soul needs to be strong too. Your blood and your whip may not be all that is needed. I fear that…" Pelleas' eyes opened again to stare at Christiano. "That if your soul isn't strong enough and you use too much of your soul's power to seal Dracula away, you will die." Christiano swallowed hard.

"How do you know?" Christiano asked, eyes rolling to the side to look at him.

"We dark sages… We… We use the dark parts of one's soul to taint the rest of it and make them destroy themselves. Dark desires are deadly. I think that… that if you let your dark desire to murder Dracula consume you, you will die with him," Pelleas said, his eyes closing. "I'm not sure how to do it, but there is a way to push the darkness out of one's soul and use it seal darkness away, leaving you bare. I hope you will be able to do that…"

"Maybe you should be the one to seal Dracula away. You seem to… well… know a lot about this," Christiano said, closing his eyes.

"No. Only the blood of a Belmont can do it. When I saw your seal when we first met, I knew that only you could seal him away. My hopes of doing so, and my fear of doing so, melted away. In a way, you saved me from suicide." Christiano didn't realize this until now. He remained quiet. "As a dark sage, I believed I could do it, but a part of me knew that if someone like you didn't come to this hellish place, I would die trying."

"Pelleas…"

"Let's rest now," Pelleas said, yawning again. Christiano reached over and took one of Pelleas' hands. Pelleas blushed. "You're always taking my hand, Christiano. My hand is stained in blood. You don't need any more blood on your own…"

"It is my choice. I think… meeting you hasn't made another stain on my soul at all… Thank you for believing in me, Pelleas," Christiano said, letting out a yawn now.

"Go to sleep already!" Carnicus shouted. Christiano smiled and opened his eyes for a moment, looking up at the moon, and then closed them again, slipping into slumber…

Suddenly, Christiano and Pelleas were awoken by the sound of steel clashing. They both immediately got to their feet. Carnicus had clashed with some kind of beast in the lake. The beast had a body and face of a lion—with large, spotted fins for a mane—gills on its neck, with armored shoulders made of steel, and the tail of a newt.

"What is that?" Pelleas asked, looking nervous.

"A Chimera," Christiano answered. "A beast the Greeks talked about. Looks like it was sleeping in the lake and it woke up. This one seems to be different from the ones I've heard of. Usually it has an additional head of a goat and a snake for a tail…" Carnicus kept on trying to strike it, but it either used its shoulders to guard against his attack, or it would dive back into the lake to elude him.

"Sounds horrible. How did such a creature come about?" Pelleas said.

"An abomination between two of the Greeks' monsters. Remember Cerberus? And the Hydra? They're its brothers," Christiano replied, taking out his whip. "I suppose the reason this Chimera looks different is because it has adapted to its surroundings."

"Do you mean some kind of _evolution?_ " Pelleas turned to him, looking confused.

"I'm not sure…" Christiano said, running into the water. He swam and got onto a small island in the center of the lake where Carnicus was.

"The beast is fast!" Carnicus admitted.

"As fast as you?" Christiano said with a smile, teasing him.

"Of course not," Carnicus said, glaring at him. "I just hate getting wet."

Just then, the Chimera jumped onto the island they were on and let out a loud roar. This hurt Christiano's ears, causing him to lose balance; Carnicus caught him. Suddenly, Virgil jumped on top of the Chimera, wrestling with it. Virgil's claws began to spark with electricity. Virgil let out a loud roar, hurting Christiano's ears again, and swiped at the Chimera in claps of thunder. The Chimera was smart, using his armor to absorb the blows. He also roared back with just as much power.

"Powerful beast you have there," Carnicus commented, watching. Christiano covered his ears.

"I-I suppose so…" Christiano replied, wincing.

The two beasts separated and just then, black bat wings grew out of the Chimera's back. It flapped its strong wings, using it to push all of them towards the edge of the beach by the water. Virgil growled.

"Well, this is going to be difficult," Christiano said. Just then, the Chimera opened its mouth and out came a low, male voice.

"You do not belong here, Belmont," the Chimera said. Christiano sighed.

"I know," Christiano replied.

"Your _pets_ here attacked me. I do not wish to die, but I will defend myself if I must," Christiano raised a brow as he turned to Carnicus.

"Did you attack him?" Christiano said with suspicion.

"Yes, because he looked like he was going to attack us," Carnicus replied.

"This is my domain. You have trespassed," the Chimera said.

"We did not intend on staying here for a long time. We just needed to rest a bit," Christiano said.

"We're actually a tad lost!" Pelleas shouted. Christiano and Carnicus suddenly looked very embarrassed. "Maybe you can help us out of here? We want to get to Dracula's castle!"

"Hmm…" The Chimera fell silent for a moment. "I will take you, as long as you promise to never return to my land."

"We promise," Christiano stated.

"Alright. Get on my back. All of you," the Chimera commanded.

"As large as you are, I don't think all of us can fit on top of you…" Carnicus said, chuckling. Suddenly, the Chimera grew in size, its shadow towering over them. Pelleas gasped.

"Now you can," the Chimera said, sitting down. Christiano and Carnicus climbed up onto his back. Virgil hissed at the Chimera and got on as well. The Chimera's amphibious tail curled, pointing at Pelleas.

"O-oh…" Pelleas stepped up onto it, feeling a little uncomfortable as his boots pressed down onto the Chimera's moist skin. Pelleas carefully walked up its tail onto its back and clung to Christiano. Christiano looked behind him, smiling. The Chimera let out a roar and took to the air, flying over the aqueduct.

"This place is so complicated…" Pelleas commented.

"Yes. Who knows how long we could have been wandering through here…" Christiano said back.

…Soon, they approached a long bridge. The Chimera landed right before it.

"This is as far as I will go," the Chimera said. Everyone climbed down.

"But this isn't Dracula's castle!" Pelleas cried.

"I repeat myself: This is as far as I will go," the Chimera said with a slight growl in his voice.

"It is fine. Thank you," Christiano said. Virgil hissed at him one last time and they turned to leave, approaching the large stone bridge. The Chimera took off, not looking behind him…


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: To The Center of Hell

The four of them went ahead and began walking across the bridge. The bridge looked like it would never end, but they had seen a wintery forest ahead when they were on the Chimera's back. The bridge was very wide and made of sturdy stone, as if each and every brick had been glued together by a giant. Everyone had begun to relax, though they were crossing over what seemed like a bottomless pit.

" _The Chimera we encountered was truly strange: there was no goat head, nor a snake for a tail. He lived in the waters of a black lake in the aqueduct we were lost in. He was amphibious (with gills on his neck that opened and closed and great, web-like fins around his head), even though he had the face and body of a lion (an animal native to a land far south of the Mediterranean). His arms were armored as if he had been in a war of some kind. He also had wings of a bat! But he swam through water like a fish! What was even stranger was that he spoke, unlike his brother Cerberus. Then again, we have yet to encounter Cerberus again—"_

Suddenly, Cerberus appeared right before them, as if he was summoned, with Isaac riding on his back.

"So you've made it this far, hm?" Isaac said, smiling.

"Isaac?" Christiano said, quirking a brow. Pelleas stepped forward.

"Isaac! I'm sure you don't like living in a place like this! I can't imagine any child would! I know you gave us trouble earlier, but please, come with us!" Pelleas cried. Isaac frowned.

"You won't defeat him, you know. Even I, a Devil Forgemaster, cannot defeat Dracula. He is my lord, and I am his loyal subject," Isaac said, smirking now.

"Well, aren't you a little prince?" Carnicus said, smirking back. Isaac glared at him.

"You! You are the worst! You are of Dracula's blood and betray him! And for what? For humans?" Isaac let out a laugh. "He should have sucked out your brain instead and left you a mindless corpse!" Suddenly, Carnicus was in front of Isaac. Isaac gasped. Carnicus slapped him across the face hard, Isaac falling on the ground. Isaac looked up at him with his cheek red and his brows crossed.

"Carnicus! He's just a child!" Pelleas cried.

" _Spare the rod, spoil the child,_ " Carnicus said. Cerberus growled at him. Virgil stepped forward and growled back. "I never liked you Devil Forgemasters. You all think you are so powerful. You may be a child, but you are no better than the others I have killed." Isaac's eyes widened.

"Carnicus! Please! He's just a child!" Pelleas said, stepping forward.

"Carnicus, Pelleas is right. Let's just go," Christiano said.

"I wonder what a _young_ Devil Forgemaster's blood tastes like. I think I'd like to drink it directly from the source—I can hear it beating so very fast. Are you, a Devil Forgemaster, actually scared?"

"Carnicus, stop," Christiano said firmly. Carnicus suddenly put his hand to Isaac's chest, but did nothing more. He was frozen in place. Pelleas was holding his hand out. Isaac was panting loudly with tears in his eyes.

"Run," Pelleas said firmly. Isaac got to his feet, wiping his eyes. He took out a pink glowing orb, and with a wild cry, threw it on the ground, it shattering.

"Fools," said a deep voice emitting from Cerberus. Isaac jumped onto his back and rode past them, back in the direction of the aqueduct. Pelleas released Carnicus from his spell. He snapped his head around, looking angry.

"You fools! Don't you understand that Devil Forgemasters are servants of Dracula?! He said so himself! Why would you let such a devil go?!" Carnicus said with a growl.

"A _devil_ , hm? You're one to talk," Christiano said back.

"He was just a child! He probably had no one except Dracula to turn to! If you let us talk to him—" Pelleas was interrupted.

"He is already far too gone. There is no reaching him. You are a fool, Pelleas," Carnicus said. Pelleas' eyes fell.

"I rather be a fool than let the blood of a child get on your hands," Pelleas said quietly.

"Why?! You think such a thing will give me my humanity back?! Do you think that child would be saved?!" Carnicus said, shouting.

"Alright. Let's stop it here. We must hurry now. We have no idea if Isaac was a scout or not," Christiano said, walking past Carnicus.

"He probably was," Carnicus said, following him. Pelleas watched them walk away, looking upset. His eyes fell.

"I'm not a fool, Christiano, am I?" Pelleas thought to himself, beginning to walk forward…

"My lord, I have returned. It is true. That vampire is accompanying them. How despicable!" Isaac cried, running his gloved hand along a coffin.

"My child… If you knew me a little better, you would have known that that is exactly what I want to happen. Oh, how I can't wait to see him…" a sensual voice said from within the coffin. Isaac withdrew his hand, looking angry. "Now, go play. There are plenty of souls to practice on. Do NOT contact them again, Isaac."

"Yes, my lord…" Isaac said, bowing before he ran off.

"Cerberus. Keep an eye on the boy. If he disobeys me, delay his birth another hundred years. Understand?" Cerberus barked and went down the same dark hallway Isaac had gone, disappearing from sight…

"Looks like that boy's magic didn't do a thing," Carnicus said, letting out a laugh. Suddenly, there was the sound of a horse whining. The four of them froze, looking around.

"Where did that come from?" Christiano said. Moments of silence passed. Without any kind of warning, Pelleas ran in front of Christiano and held his hand out, freezing a giant lance that had been heading their way in the air. Christiano gasped.

"Hm? Oh," Carnicus said, wondering why he couldn't detect the lance. The lance suddenly disappeared in a mist.

"Pelleas! Thank you! How did you know?" Christiano said, looking stunned.

"Being a dark sage, I can sense the wrath of the dead. Wrath, after all, is a dark emotion. Earlier, I was somewhat able to sense the arrows that were being shot at us by the Minotaur—I just wasn't completely sure. This—this was far too easy not to notice, especially since it is a lot larger." Carnicus looked at Pelleas, looking annoyed.

Suddenly, Christiano felt something hit him in the back. He turned around to see a ghostly horse.

"What? What is this?" Christiano said, the others turning around. Another horse cried, causing them to turn back. Ahead of them, they saw another ghostly horse, with a spirit in armor sitting on top of it. He was holding a large lance just like the one that Pelleas stopped.

"Well! This is going to be interesting! Belmont, have you ever heard of the sport 'jousting?'" Carnicus said, smirking.

"No…" Christiano said, looking confused.

"It happens here in the Hell."

"These must be Nightmares…" Pelleas said, looking back at the horse.

"Mount the horse. I'll tell you more," Carnicus said, smiling still. Christiano looked unsure. The horse lowered itself and Christiano, somehow, sat on it. Suddenly, a lance materialized in his hand.

"What?!" Christiano said, gripping it. "I can see right through it, yet I can hold it?"

"You see that spirit up ahead there? He must have been an evil Angles who probably loved impaling others. You see, this sport involves two men rushing at each other on horseback. They each hold a lance and a shield—" Suddenly, a shield with the Belmont crest materialized into Christiano's other hand. "You clash together with a single blow, aiming to knock the other off their horse, or if there is a true grudge—to impale him. I have a good feeling that he's not playing for the sake of good ol' fun," Carnicus continued.

"So I must 'joust' with this spirit?" Christiano said, looking a bit uneasy.

"It seems that way. Why not?" Carnicus said, laughing.

"Whose side are you on anyway, Carnicus?! Is this just a game to you?!" Pelleas cried.

"It is a game, but why I don't cry like you do is because I already know Christiano is going to win," Carnicus said, turning to him. Pelleas glared at him. Virgil calmly walked over to Carnicus' side.

"I hope so…" Christiano said, looking at the ghostly lance and the shield. "I wonder if the Belmonts of the past rode just like this…"

"Who knows? You're a knight, correct?" Carnicus asked.

"Well, I hailed from the land of Venice…" Christiano replied, not exactly sure what the word meant.

"So I'm sure you've ridden a horse before."

"I have," Suddenly, the horse ahead of them let out an unworldly cry and began to rush towards them.

"Go," Carnicus said, slapping the horse's rear. The horse immediately began running. Christiano, at first, was nervous about losing his balance, but managed to use his thighs to cling to the horse.

As Christiano and the ghostly knight got closer, they both leaned forward and made eye contact. The spirit's eyes were like violet flames burning in the slits of the armor. Christiano swallowed hard. Pelleas got more and more nervous by the second; suddenly, he decided to run after Christiano with his book in his arms, even though he knew it was too late for him to catch up to them and use a spell within his range. Carnicus sighed.

Suddenly, they clashed! Christiano's lance had been split down the middle like it was made of actual wood; he immediately used his shield to block the spirit's attacks. Christiano's thoughts were racing. He didn't know what to do other than defend himself. He hadn't really had any experience with using lances before.

"I must remember… the blood of a Belmont flows through my veins!" Christiano thought to himself. His eyes suddenly went from their chocolate brown to a yellow. Dropping what was the rest of his lance, he grabbed his whip and when he had the chance, he shoved the armored spirit with his shield and flipped himself off of the horse. Christiano's horse ran off, disappearing into thin air. Christiano stood there before the armored spirit on his horse. Christiano knew that his whip would bounce off of the armor, but his heart was still racing as if he knew what he was going to do next. Christiano decided that he would try to use his whip to pulled the armored spirit off of the horse. He would have to get under his horse somehow. Oh, how stupid he felt. Suddenly, he felt a weight hit him in the back. Just when Christiano was about to crack his whip, Pelleas' hand gripped his and sent an electric current through the whip. The whip hit the horse in the face—shocking it—the horse reared, throwing the armored spirit off the edge of the bridge. The horse then ran away, disappearing like the other had. Christiano turned around to face Pelleas, who was smiling at him. Christiano smiled back.

"I didn't know you could enchant weapons, Pelleas," Christiano said, his shield disappearing.

"Me either," Pelleas said, giggling. Carnicus rolled his eyes and walked across the bridge to get over to them. Virgil stayed close by his side.

"Well, I was expecting you to knock him off the horse the moment you two met, but I suppose this works," Carnicus said…

The four of them reached the other side of the bridge, reaching a quiet forest covered in snow.

"It's so beautiful…" Pelleas said, feeling his hot breath leave him.

"I would have never thought we would have encountered a place like this…" Christiano commented.

"Don't you know that the center of Hell is cold? I'm beginning to remember this place… Ah, the image of fresh blood being spilled on the snow… Perhaps I was an artist when I was alive." Carnicus said, passion in his voice. Christiano walked forward, the snow crunching under his boots. Pelleas was a bit delighted with the sound. Carnicus looked around, on edge; he didn't like the quiet.

" _I rode what Pelleas referred to as a 'Nightmare.' I had only ridden horses only a few times in the war. I don't have much experience, so I really risked my life 'jousting' with this armored spirit. I don't understand the appeal in this 'sport,' but I have always believed that anyone west of 'Milan' is crazy."_

They wandered through the forest for a bit, heading north until the came across a large, frozen lake. Ahead of them was the shadow of Dracula's Castle, the blood red moon draping behind it.

"There it is…" Carnicus said quietly. "Where all of my memories are; where all of my revenge lies…" He sighed. Christiano looked at him with empathetic eyes. He then looked back at the lake ahead of them.

"There is no other way to get to the castle… We must walk across the lake," Pelleas said.

"Across _water_? How?" Christiano asked, looking puzzled. He never had seen a frozen lake before. Pelleas stepped forward onto the ice and turned to them.

"See? It is as hard as a rock," Pelleas said, smiling.

"Probably has been frozen for hundreds of years," Carnicus said as he stepped onto the ice with Pelleas. Virgil followed, using his claws to keep himself from slipping. Christiano was still trying to understand everything.

"I've experienced winter in Venice, but never anything like this before…"

"Come now, Christiano. You've just ridden a horse's ghost. Are you really afraid of _ice?_ " Carnicus said, snickering. Pelleas giggled. Christiano let out a little huff.

"Fine," Christiano replied. He looked down and took a heavy step onto the ice. "Oh… I suppose it is safe…" Christiano said. He took another step and suddenly slipped, falling on his rear. Carnicus and Pelleas laughed. "Cursed lake!" Pelleas offered his hand and helped him to his feet.

"You have to be careful, Christiano!" Pelleas said.

"He hasn't probably left his home much," Carnicus said, snickering.

"Shut up!" Christiano shouted, looking embarrassed.

…As they crossed the lake, they saw horrifying things: fingers, limbs, and even the crowns of peoples' heads sticking out of the ice.

"How could this have happened to them?" Christiano said, looking uncomfortable.

"The worst of souls condemned to feel the sting of ice for the rest of eternity, suffering before Satan's feet." Carnicus bent down, touching one of the fingers that was sticking out. "Still warm…"

"Though they were evil, isn't there always the chance to repent? I feel this just simply isn't fair…" Pelleas said.

"Tell that to God," Carnicus said.

"It's not God who puts them here," Christiano replied. Carnicus quirked a brow.

…Soon, they were at the entrance of the castle. Christiano took a deep breath. Suddenly, the large doors opened by themselves.

"It's like Dracula is welcoming us inside!" Pelleas cried. "I feel his dark power…"

"As can I…" Christiano whispered, gripping his whip.

"He knew we were coming," Carnicus said.

"I shall go ahead without looking back," Christiano stated as he took his first step onto the ragged, blood red carpet…


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Dance with the Devil in the Red Moonlight

Each hallway was lit up with candles on the sides of the walls. Christiano felt like he was walking right into a trap. His hands felt hot, ready to grab his whip any second. A couple of skeletons came their way, but Christiano, without a moment's hesitation, whipped them until their bones splintered. He would then crush the skulls under his boots. Pelleas was a little thrown off as to how merciless Christiano's attacks had become. Was it Dracula's power? He could feel darkness all around him. Carnicus was silent. He wasn't even attacking enemies that approached them from behind; he let Christiano finish them off. After attacking hordes of skeletons, then came these hunched over small gremlins with blades for arms. They hopped around like fleas until they decided to attack. Christiano whipped them until they were no more than a bloody pond with two blades. Pelleas was disgusted by the scene, while Carnicus grew hungry.

" _I will call these beings the 'Flea Reapers.' They are very fast."_

Christiano began to draw an image of one as they continued on. Suddenly, a Flea Reaper came out of nowhere and launched itself onto Christiano's back, digging the blades in. Christiano dropped his book and let out a cry of pain. Instantly, Carnicus became furious. He grabbed the Flea Reaper off of Christiano, Pelleas catching Christiano, who fell forward. Carnicus then bit into the Flea Reaper's neck, almost snapping it off. He sucked the thing dry and threw it out a window, the stained glass shattering. Pelleas had taken off Christiano's tunic to see bloody chainmail.

"Strong little bastards," Carnicus said. Pelleas reached for Christiano's holy water and dripped a couple of drops on the wounds. Christiano hissed.

"Christiano, don't overdo it…" Pelleas said softly.

"I have to be strong, Pelleas. Dracula, I'm sure, is not a man of mercy," Christiano said, looking him straight in the eyes. Pelleas gasped, noticing his eyes were an amber yellow. He frowned.

"Christiano… What's happened to you?" Pelleas said, looking concerned now.

"Pelleas, stop. You vex me," Christiano said, glaring at him. Pelleas gasped. He gave his holy water and his book back to him and stood up, looking sad. Carnicus glared at Christiano.

"He's only trying to help you," Carnicus said. Pelleas was surprised he was defending him. Christiano sighed.

"If you two wish to dawdle, you may. I, however, have somewhere to go," Christiano snapped. Carnicus' glare intensified.

"Without us, you would have never gotten this far. So, stop acting like a blind bull," Carnicus said back.

"I'll kill you, vampire," Christiano threatened. Carnicus' eyes widened.

"You really think you can?" Carnicus said, letting out a laugh. Christiano suddenly gripped his whip and cracked it. "Hm? You really are nothing more than a blind bull."

"I'll kill you!" Christiano cried. He rushed at him, swinging his whip when Pelleas jumped in front of Carnicus, getting hit across the chest. Pelleas cried out, falling into Carnicus' arms. Christiano's eyes returned to normal. Pelleas tunic had been cut, revealing a stripe of bright red blood across his chest. Carnicus glared at Christiano, skulls appearing in his eyes once more. Christiano stumbled back and ran off.

"Christiano! Wait!" Pelleas cried…

Christiano ran and ran until he reached a pair of large doors.

"What's this?" Christiano pushed the doors open with both hands and saw that inside there was a church. There were stained glass windows of saints, pews, and an altar with the Bible! "In Dracula's castle? Impossible!"

Suddenly, a door off to the side opened, a bunch of figures with brown hoods walking out. "Monks?..." There were thirteen of them. All of them sat down, except for one, who approached Christiano. Christiano gripped his whip and cracked it.

"There is no need…" An elderly man's voice said, coming from underneath the hood. "This is the Church of the Poor. We have been trapped here by Dracula for mere entertainment. We pray every day to leave this place but even the power of the Bible there cannot help us…"

"This is sick…" Christiano replied.

"There were more of us, but a boy with red hair came and slaughtered them with his demons."

"Perhaps it was Isaac…"

"Please… you must free us. We can tell that you are a man with His spirit within you. Please, free us from these cloaks…" the man begged.

"I'm not sure how… Breathing the air in this very castle is full of darkness… I suppose I could—"

"Oh no… It's happening again…" the man said, hunching over.

"Are you alright?!" Christiano asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Suddenly, large blades emerged from the sleeves of the cloak and went to stab Christiano. Christiano jumped back.

"A trick?!" Just then, the others sat up and floated towards him with blades as well. A pair of red balls of light for eyes stared at him. Christiano frowned. He then jumped over them and ran towards the altar. He picked up the Bible, seeing that it was quite old. He opened it up and began to search for a scripture.

"It has to be here somewhere…" When he finally turned to the page he was looking for, he saw that it had been completely stained with blood and was unreadable. Christiano sighed.

"Horrid…" Suddenly, a blade came through the Bible he was holding. He gasped. He then turned the Bible, kicked the cloaked spirit that the blade was attached to, and ran towards the doors that he had originally come through. He tried to open them, but they were locked. Christiano panicked.

"I suppose I must fight these poor souls…"

" _I will call them 'The Disciples.' Thirteen of them, all condemned to a church within Dracula's castle. They attack me now, transformed by Dracula's darkness…"_

Christiano began to whip them, their clothes shredding. Once he had beaten one fairly well, a white spirit rushed out from under what was left of the cloak and shot out through one of the windows, shattering the glass. Christiano understood what he had to do—he repeated his actions until they were all gone. He heard the door unlock. He looked over at the Bible on the floor and sighed.

"Dracula must die for his crimes against humanity!" Christiano shouted. He rushed out of the room and headed in the other direction he had been travelling, down another dimly lit hallway…

"If only we had some holy water…" Carnicus said, walking by Pelleas' side.

"It'll be fine. It just stings. It's a good thing that most of my attacks aren't that rigorous," Pelleas said.

"The smell…"

"I know. You must be hungry," Pelleas said, blushing.

"Living blood is so much better than the blood of the undead. But I must let you know, though you are a dark sage, your blood is very sweet," Carnicus looked over at him, smiling. Pelleas blushed even more.

"Why are you looking at me like that? You're not going to kill me, are you?" Pelleas said, sounding a tad nervous.

"No, no. It's just…Well, I thought I hated you because your jealousy was just so… obnoxious."

"As is yours," Pelleas snapped.

"The truth is, I find you to be beautiful," Carnicus said in a soft voice. Pelleas' face was red.

"Stop it," Pelleas replied.

"Alright," Carnicus said, letting out a laugh…

Christiano entered in another large room. It was fairly darker than the others, but he was able to see that there were stairs leading out of the room. Just when he thought the room was empty, he felt the floor tremble below his feet.

"What was that?" Christiano looked around. The floor trembled again. "Is the ground unstable? No…" Something was walking towards him—something quite big. Christiano could sense something was in the darkness with him now. He suddenly heard a groan. Christiano took a step back. "I wish I had some kind of light…" he said, whispering to himself. He then thought about the white cross he had. He took it out, it glowing in the dark. He gasped when he saw that a giant with one eye, holding a club, was looking around. Christiano pocketed his cross quickly before the giant could notice. Christiano quietly crept around the monster, heading for the stairs, when the giant turned around and his club smacked Christiano across the room. The giant let out a roar.

" _Great._ "

Christiano would have to rely on his other senses. The giant held the club up in the air and went to crush Christiano when he rolled out of the way and hit the giant's leg with his whip. The giant made a pained noise and turned to face Christiano again and swing at him. Christiano jumped over the club.

"I'm not falling for that—" The giant swung the club back the other way and hit Christiano, throwing him up against the stairs. Christiano got up, his back feeling a bit sore now. The giant laughed. His eye then glowed in the dark. From his eye, he shot little beams of light into the ground around Christiano. Christiano ran and avoided an attack that made the ground quake with purple flames.

" _I am just going to call this one 'The Ugly.' Though I haven't really seen much of him, I don't really want to see more of him. He wields a club and also has other powers that comes from his eye. I really don't want to draw his profile…"_

"Come at me!" Christiano cried. The Ugly grunted and raised his arms to try to crush Christiano with his club again. Christiano jumped back before the club hit the ground, and then immediately ran up his arm. He took out his cross and showed it before The Ugly's eye. The light hurt its eye and made him drop his club on his foot. The Ugly let out cry of pain and fell onto his back, holding his foot. Christiano stood before him, laughing.

"I suppose you're not completely inhuman!" Christiano said, his eyes turning yellow. "GRAND CROSS!" he shouted, as powerful light in the shape of a cross blasted from the floor under the giant. The giant turned into purple flames, quickly burning out. Christiano then raced up the stairs…

Virgil stopped suddenly, looking down the hallway.

"What? Do you see something, Virgil?" Pelleas asked. Virgil hissed. Out of the darkness, Isaac rode past them on Cerberus' back. Carnicus held back the urge to attack them. Just then, Isaac threw a pink orb behind him, it shattering right before Virgil's feet. Virgil jumped and lowered himself, looking as if he was about to attack something.

"Little brat is still causing trouble," Carnicus said, looking annoyed. Pelleas looked around them, wondering just what Isaac had summoned. Suddenly, Carnicus appeared right in front of Pelleas and was hit by something, throwing him back a bit.

"Carnicus?!" Pelleas cried, running over to him.

"Don't worry yourself grey, Pelleas," Carnicus said as he got up. Pelleas flushed.

"You said my name…" Pelleas said, looking surprised.

"Huh? Oh, I guess I did," Carnicus said, smiling at him. Carnicus' scythe appeared. He ran down the hallway. Pelleas followed him, holding his book. They saw what looked like to be floating, thick swords coming at them.

"Possessed weaponry?" Pelleas said, quirking a brow.

"Not quite. Something is holding them—you just can't see them. It headbutted me," Carnicus said.

"Ah…"

"I think it's safe to aim for the weapons though," Carnicus said, rushing up to one of them.

He swung his scythe and one of the swords fell to the ground, breaking into pieces. Pelleas wondered what he was going to do. He pretty much relied on seeing enemies. Suddenly, one of the swords began to move wildly in the air, creating a pentagram. Pelleas gasped. Suddenly, a thick beam of white energy blasted out of the circle, heading towards him. Pelleas held out his hands, creating a shield around him made of dark energy. Pelleas looked like he was struggling. Once the enemy ran out of power, it then threw its sword, it turning into a golden disk of energy. Pelleas dodged it, but it curved around, heading in Pelleas' direction. Pelleas used his spell to freeze the sword, it eventually losing power and falling to the ground. Just when Pelleas thought that whatever was attacking him had been rendered powerless, he felt a pair of hands wrap around his neck. The enemy lifted him off the ground, choking him. Pelleas struggled, trying to pry the enemy's strong arms off of him. Carnicus heard Pelleas choking and turned around to see him. Carnicus did not want to slash Pelleas, so his mind raced, trying to find a solution. Suddenly, dark energy began to radiate from Pelleas. Without any warning, the dark energy wrapped around the invisible enemy, giving it form. The body was that of a humanoid. It squeezed him tight until the dark energy tied itself into a knot across the chest, squeezing the enemy until it collapsed and died. Pelleas fell onto his knees, coughing.

"Amazing…" Carnicus said, approaching him. "That dark energy inside of you… Leaking out of every pore of your body… Christiano was right when he said you were powerful."

"I feel weak… I drew from my very soul…" Pelleas said, sounding like he was about to pass out. Carnicus then picked him up, bridal style, looking into his eyes. Pelleas saw the skulls again. He sighed. "Thank you, Carnicus."

"You're welcome, Pelleas," Carnicus said, drawing near. Pelleas closed his eyes and they kissed…

Christiano was also fighting the same invisible demons.

" _I will call these 'The Ghostly Cleavers.' They are practically invisible, but the weak moonlight coming through the stained glass windows coats them in a rainbow of colors, exposing them. They fight with these very thick swords, looking as if they could kill a horse. They have all kinds of moves and are quite dangerous..."_

Christiano relaxed once he defeated all of them, wiping his brow.

"Something doesn't feel right… I hope Pelleas is okay… Carnicus too, I guess… Oh, I hope they'll forgive me… I really don't feel like myself… Perhaps it's Dracula curse?"

…Pelleas' rested in Carnicus' arms with his eyes closed. Carnicus was getting bored until they came across a split.

"So, Virgil, which way should we go?" Carnicus asked him, smiling. Virgil stopped and turned around, sitting. "So you don't know either, huh?" Carnicus said, letting out a small chuckle. "Alright. Let's go left. Why not?"

Virgil walked by Carnicus' side down the left hallway. Suddenly, the floor underneath them collapsed and they fell, sliding down a tunnel. Carnicus tried to travel back up the tunnel, but he couldn't with Pelleas in his arms. Virgil also tried to stop, but his claws just left scratches along the tunnel's walls. They soon fell in a room with piles of skulls and skeletons on the floor. Pelleas woke up and looked around, looking terrified.

"Bones! Everywhere!" Pelleas said.

"Probably what happened to every single person who fell into this trap," Carnicus said, letting out a sigh.

" _A trap?!_ Carnicus! How could you?!"

"You distracted me."

"How?! I was asleep!"

"I was wondering what you would look like if you were dead."

"What?! Carnicus, that's sick!"

"It's not like I _want_ you to die. I was just morbidly curious."

"Whatever! It doesn't matter! How are we going to get out of here?!" Pelleas said, looking around.

"The only way out is the way we came in—that tunnel," Carnicus said. "And I'm not sure if even _I_ could make my way up there." He looked at his sharp nails, sighing.

"We're going to die here…"

"Not exactly. You see, you can transform into a _fenrir,_ but I _also_ can transform into a cursed beast," Carnicus said, setting Pelleas down. He began to undress, Pelleas turning his back to him. "Pelleas, be a dear and hold onto my armor for me." Pelleas turned around to quickly pick up his armor and turned around again. Just then, the pressure in the room changed. Pelleas could feel dark energy growing from the center of the room where Carnicus was standing. Carnicus made a pained noise as giant bat wings sprouted from his back. He began to grow dark fur and his face began to change into that of something that looked demonic. Pelleas could hear the sound of bones crushing, making him uneasy. He then turned around to see some kind of giant, bat-like creature filling up the room. Pelleas gasped, almost dropping the armor. Carnicus, this giant bat-like creature, opened its mouth and breathed fire, melting a hole in the ceiling. He then looked down at Pelleas and Virgil.

"Carnicus… What _are_ you?" Pelleas said nervously. Carnicus began to take off, grabbing both Pelleas and Virgil with his feet. He then burst through what was left of the ceiling, flying up into a large hall. Carnicus set them down and began to change back. When he was back to normal, he fell onto his face.

"Oh… I've only ever done this once before. I forget how exhausting it is…" Carnicus said weakly. Pelleas rushed over to him.

"Carnicus, You saved our lives… Let me help you…" he said, rolling him over onto his back. Pelleas flushed as his eyes traced his body. Carnicus chuckled.

"Pervert."

Pelleas dressed him and helped him to his feet. He put an arm under Carnicus, helping him walk. Virgil lead the way…

Christiano was in a courtyard with ivy growing up along the walls.

"Too many skeletons… Barely escaped those red ones…" Christiano said, panting. Just then, he spotted a small rose garden in a corner across from him. Christiano walked over to it, seeing that among the bright, wild roses was an insanely large white rose. "I've never seen a flower this large before…" he said, reaching forward to touch a petal.

Just then, the rose opened, revealing a man standing inside. He was naked, practically all white, with long, platinum blonde hair. He was smiling at Christiano with the gentlest of grey eyes. He opened his arms to him.

"Such a beautiful scent…" Christiano said, sounding like he was in a trance. Christiano approached him, walking into the flower.

"Don't touch him!" a familiar voice cried. Christiano turned around to see Carnicus rushing at them with his scythe. The man in the flower looked scared.

"No! Carnicus! Stop!" Christiano said, opening his arms.

"Out of the way, idiot!" Carnicus said.

"He's done nothing to me!" Christiano cried. Suddenly, the flower closed around them. Christiano was screaming within the petals. Carnicus sighed. He used his scythe to cut the petals away, revealing that Christiano was laying on a giant tongue surrounded by sharp teeth.

"Told you so," Carnicus said, helping Christiano up.

"Where did the man go?! Was he devoured by this abomination?!" Christiano said, looking confused. The flower tried to slam its mouth shut but Carnicus used his scythe to keep its jaw from closing.

"He _is_ the abomination," Carnicus said, taking Christiano out of the flower with him. Carnicus then called his scythe back. The flower opened and suddenly sprayed poisonous gas at Christiano. Christiano breathed it in and began to cough up a storm. "Great," Carnicus said. He then ran up to the flower and cut it to shreds with his scythe. Pelleas joined up with them, trying to get Christiano to speak.

"Christiano! Are you choking?!" Pelleas cried.

"N-no! I just—" Christiano coughed. "Feel ill!" Christiano fell to his knees, coughing still. Pelleas immediately bent down, reaching under his garments to get his holy water, and opened Christiano's mouth, pouring some inside. The coughing ceased and suddenly, Christiano vomited onto the ground. "P-poison!" Christiano said, panting.

"I figured," Carnicus said. "You're lucky you weren't in that thing's mouth for long—its acids would have melted your skin right off the bone." Christiano looked up at him and then back down at the ground again.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry for how I was earlier. I'm not sure what demon came over me…" Christiano said weakly.

"The demon of fear," Carnicus answer. Christiano then looked up to see Pelleas' wound. Though it had stopped bleeding, he could tell that it was still hurting him.

"Pelleas. Use the holy water to heal your wound," Christiano commanded.

"I will. Thank you," Pelleas said.

…After everyone composed themselves, they left the courtyard to continue deeper into the castle. Soon, they reached a large, circular room.

"It's empty. That's a surprise," Christiano said, looking around. "Have either of you encountered the one-eyed giants yet?"

"No," Pelleas answered.

"They're not as dumb as they look," Christiano said, laughing. "One of them bounced me around the room! My back is a bit sore from it!" Carnicus and Pelleas both laughed. Suddenly, a glowing, pink seal appeared on the floor. Out of it rose Isaac and Cerberus.

"Not you again," Carnicus said, looking frustrated.

"You embarrassed me! You think I would let this go?!" Isaac shouted.

"No, I didn't. But I figured that you would let it eat you up from the inside instead," Carnicus teased.

"You don't scare me, traitor!"

"I was never on Dracula's side. You know nothing, child."

"You share the same blood! You're bound to darkness forever, just like I am!" he said, pointing at him. He then smiled. "Just you wait, Carnicus. Dracula doesn't forget traitors."

"Shut up, you little—"

"GO!" Isaac shouted. Just then, a black and gold demon appeared out of the air, flying towards Carnicus. Carnicus, caught off guard, dodged at the last moment. Carnicus took out his scythe and used it to defend himself against the demon's next attack. Isaac let out a crazy laugh. The demon dove into the ground like it was water, a demonic seal moving until it was underneath Carnicus. Carnicus jumped, some knives that had come out of the seal cutting his legs. Pelleas glared at Isaac. He walked right up to him and slapped him across the face. Isaac looked up at him, eyes wide.

"Leave this place or else I'll let Carnicus kill you," Pelleas said firmly.

"Oh? Is he your pet? Are you going to actually tell him to kill me? Is it because you can't do anything yourself?" Isaac said, smiling cockily. He then took out his spear and swung it at Pelleas, who dodged. Pelleas then held his hand out and froze Isaac in place.

"I can't move!" Isaac cried.

"That is correct. And you'll stay like that forever… unless Carnicus comes over here and ends your life," Pelleas said in a cold tone. Christiano looked shocked. Perhaps Dracula's energy was affecting all of them.

"Pelleas…" Christiano said quietly, not knowing what to say.

Carnicus cut Isaac's demon in half, it disappearing with white balls of light hitting the ground. Carnicus then looked over at Isaac, glaring at him.

"You just can't let it go, can you?" Carnicus said, approaching him.

"He can't move, Carnicus. I've cast a spell on him. Go ahead," Pelleas said, stepping aside. Isaac looked into Carnicus' eyes, seeing skulls.

"No! You! You're—" Isaac shouted. Christiano's eyes widened. Suddenly, a hoard of bats came out of the floor, swarming around Isaac. Carnicus growled, slashing them. They dispersed and faded away, revealing that Isaac was gone.

"What in the world?!" Carnicus said angrily.

"I'm sure Dracula was responsible for that," Pelleas stated. "I've never felt so much dark energy before and it wasn't even he himself…"

"Carnicus… Are you okay?" Christiano said, looking over at him. Carnicus' eyes were a bright red. "Carnicus?"

"I really hate that kid," Carnicus said in a sharp tone. Christiano looked away.

"Let's… go now," Christiano said, opening the door ahead of them.

A wild wind blew past them; the door lead to the outdoors. A very large staircase with bloodstained red carpeting was in front of them. The blood moon was to their left, shining bright in the dark sky.

"I think this is it," Christiano said, taking a deep breath.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse

They climbed the stairs, seeing a tower up ahead of them. Suddenly, snakes slithered down the stairs past them.

"Are they _running?_ " Pelleas asked.

"I suppose so. Even the snake fears Dracula…" Christiano said, watching some of them fall off the stairs into the black abyss below them.

They reached the door, which had a pattern of bones imbedded in the steel.

"This is it," Pelleas said, taking a deep breath.

"Yes. Beyond this door is my fate."

"Mine as well," Carnicus said. Even he looked a bit nervous.

"We must be strong. We must not hesitate a single moment, or look back," Christiano continued. Everyone nodded, including Virgil.

Christiano opened the door, and out flew a swarm of vampire bats. All of them ducked as the bats disappeared into the night sky. They proceeded inside the circular room. The floor was stained with old blood. There was a chandelier with purple flames hanging from the ceiling. There was another door, which was ajar, showing a bed with lavish red sheets. Ahead of them was a throne made of bones on top of a ragged, red oriental carpet. Leaning against the throne was a black coffin that had been opened. Sitting on the throne of bones… was Dracula himself! The four of them froze, gazing at him.

Dracula had not aged too much from the time he encountered Leon Belmont hundreds of years ago. He still had long, wavy, ash brown hair. There were some streaks of silver, but his face had not aged at all. His face was like that of a statue—white, perfect—with a pair of piercing, ice blue eyes. He was leering at them with a sensual smile. He was wearing a dark red coat that reached the floor, with black fur around the collar. Under that, he wore a frilled, ivory shirt over dark brown, leather pants and thigh-high matching boots. He stood up, approaching them.

"Welcome, welcome, to my castle, Castlevania," he said, clapping.

"Mathias!" Carnicus shouted angrily.

"Do not call me that name, traitor. My name is Dracula now, son of the great dragon." His eyes then fell on Christiano. "Oh, another blonde. You remind me of my beloved Leon. But you're not a real Belmont, are you?"

"The blood of the Belmonts flows through me. Just like they have, I will send you back to Hell," Christiano replied.

"Oh, will you now?" Dracula said, letting out a small laugh. Christiano grabbed his whip. "What's this? Oh, the famous 'Vampire Killer.' How could I forget?" He then looked over at Pelleas. "Ooh. You're _soaked_ in blood. What is your name, boy?"

"It does not concern you—"

"'Pelleas,' correct? Oh, I must tell you something. My familiars have told me a great deal about the state of your kingdom," Dracula said, eyes rolling up to recall what he had heard. "Your father, the king, has sent you here to die. He knew that if you found out the truth about the war, you would betray him and help them. You see, your kingdom isn't _defending_ itself. Your kingdom is _invading_ the neighboring one. They want to fill it with darkness. Your father draws from my power, which has only gotten stronger since I've awoken. Haven't you noticed how strong you've become as well? Do you really think it was because you studied that book of yours?" Dracula said, smiling at him. Pelleas looked shocked. "I wouldn't lie to you about it. There is no reason for me to lie. But, there is a reason to shatter your hope of ever returning to your father. He will kill you."

"What about my mother?" Pelleas said, looking desperate.

"Your mother? She has disappeared. So sad to hear that the only one who loved you left you behind," Dracula said, curling a finger in his hair. "She was beautiful, you know. She reminded me of my dead—"

"Stop it!" Pelleas cried. Christiano ran up to him, but Dracula dodged in a blur of red. He then began to walk over to Carnicus.

"Ah, Carnicus. Or should I say, Nicolas?" Dracula said, suddenly appearing in front of Carnicus. He placed a hand on his cheek. Carnicus slapped his hand away and went to bite him, but Dracula dodged him with ease.

"So, you have come back here, and for what reason?"

"I want answers! Then, I want to see Christiano destroy you!"

"Answers, hm?"

"Yes! Who am I?! You took everything from me!" Carnicus shouted.

"Your hair, red as blood… You were blonde, too. I suppose I have a thing for blondes." Dracula laughed. "Anyway, what is it that you wish to know?" Carnicus' eyes fell. "Ah, I hear your thoughts. They're as loud as ever. Nicolas, I loved you so much. Why have you come to betray me?"

"What do you think?! You threw me into the Pit!" Carnicus cried.

"Yes, I did, but only because you failed me. Nicolas, when you were just a boy, I discovered you and your dead mother. She had hung herself, right? Yes, that's right… She left you all alone… I took you with me to my castle and tried to have you trained in the dark arts in hopes of having you become a Devil Forgemaster. You were so sweet—it was impossible to resist you…" Carnicus' eyes widened.

"How dare you touch me!" Carnicus rushed at him again, swinging his scythe; he missed again.

"Anyway, once you came of age, it was time to ordain you, but Leon Belmont returned and I decided that there was no time. So, I made you one of my own and had you fight him. I suppose you don't remember because you were defeated. So, I banished you…" He sighed. "By the way, do you like that scythe I've given you? I'm sure that it has protected you quite well…" Carnicus looked furious.

"I know I do not have the power to kill you, but if I could, I would make sure you suffer first," Carnicus said in a threatening tone of voice. Dracula laughed.

"Enough with the storytelling, Dracula! It is time for your curse to end!" Christiano cried.

"Spoken like a true Belmont. Well then, go ahead. Try to strike me," Dracula said, smirking. Christiano glared at him, his eyes turning yellow. Dracula's smile faded.

"What?..." Dracula said quietly. Suddenly, Christiano was in front of him, swinging his whip. Dracula moved out of the way, getting hit in the face. He stumbled back, holding his cheek. He looked at his hand, seeing that he was bleeding. Dracula glared at Christiano. _"I must not underestimate him."_ Suddenly, Dracula disappeared, laughing.

Christiano looked around him, when out of nowhere, Dracula flew in front of him, his coat wrapping around the two of them like wings. He bit down into Christiano's neck, sucking his blood. Christiano struggled to get free; he was strong. Christiano reached down, grabbing a vial of holy water, and threw it against Dracula, it shattering. Dracula let out a hiss, letting him go. Christiano panted, holding his hand to his neck. He used another vial to heal his wound.

"An angel and apostle, hm? You must be serious!" Dracula said, licking his lips. "Ah, your blood really is of a Belmont. My absolute favorite. When I kill you, I'll drink your blood from a wine glass."

"Disgusting…" Christiano said.

"I haven't had enough," Dracula said, disappearing again. Right before Dracula appeared in front of him, Christiano spun himself and his whip around, creating strong gusts of wind. Dracula was struck multiple times, pushing him back. "That cursed whip!" Dracula cried.

He then moved his arm and flung large fireballs at Christiano. Christiano dodged, except one hit his cape, it catching on fire. Christiano immediately removed his cape, dropping it to the floor. Dracula smirked. Though Christiano felt that his cape helped disguise his attacks, he felt fine just attacking him in his Crusade tunic, chainmail, armor, and thick leather pants. Dracula threw more fireballs at him, Christiano rolling to the side to avoid his attack. Then, bats flew out of the sleeves of Dracula's coat, attacking Christiano. Christiano grabbed his cross and held it up, its light scaring the bats away. Christiano ran up to Dracula and planted his hand on the ground.

"GRAND CROSS!" Christiano shouted as light shaped in the sign of the cross appeared underneath Dracula. Dracula stumbled back in pain.

"Curse you!" Dracula cried. Christiano smirked.

"What's wrong, Dracula? Am I, a Veneziano, beating you?" Christiano said cockily.

"You have yet to see my power," Dracula rose in the air, a ball of red light surrounding him. The ball grew bigger and bigger. It got so big, that Christiano got nervous and ran to the edge of the room, his back to the wall. The ball suddenly exploded, unleashing a giant, fiery explosion. He could feel the heat hit his face. When the fire dissipated, Christiano rushed up to him and launched a fury of attacks on Dracula. Dracula used his arms to block him, but his attacks were cutting him at the same time. When Christiano finished, Dracula hit him with his hand and sent Christiano flying, his back hitting the wall. Christiano got up slowly, drinking another vial of holy water. Dracula threw more fireballs and Christiano dodged. Just when Christiano thought that everything was under control, Dracula disappeared again. Christiano ran around this time, hoping that it would make it harder for Dracula to grab him, but he was wrong. Even though he used his tornado-like attack to defend himself, Dracula drew close and this time, kissed Christiano, drinking blood from his mouth. Carnicus and Pelleas instantly became enraged. Pelleas quickly enchanted Carnicus' scythe with electricity (since he knew that darkness would be useless), and Carnicus rushed towards them. Carnicus jumped over the couple and swung his scythe, Dracula disappearing. Christiano fell to his knees and began to drink more holy water; he was running out.

"Bastard!" Carnicus cried. Suddenly, Dracula appeared behind Carnicus and hit him in the back, causing Carnicus to drop his scythe and fall. While Dracula was distracted, Christiano threw his cross, it going right through him. The cross then curved around in the air and returned to Christiano's hand. Dracula coughed up some blood, wrapping his arms around himself. Dracula moved around the room in a blur of colors, trying to get away from Christiano. Christiano thought he was just avoiding him until he went back over to his throne where Carnicus was, and floated up into the air, preparing to use big move again. Christiano, who was fairly close, jumped up into the air, his irises turning white.

"What?!" Dracula said, distracted when their eyes met. Christiano let out a cry and suddenly, giant, golden crosses swirled around him, knocking Dracula out of the air and onto the ground. Dracula was coughing up more blood. Christiano landed before him, hand on his whip.

"With this whip, I will end you," Christiano said. Dracula got to his feet.

"You really think so, hm?" Dracula said, panting. He then grabbed the red Oriental rug from under his throne and threw it onto Carnicus.

"What are you doing?" Christiano said, looking puzzled.

"Revealing your friend's true identity. He really thought that he could escape my curse… Say hello to your friend, Christiano," Dracula said in a sinister tone of voice. Suddenly, the rug rose into the air.

"Carnicus?..," Christiano said, looking a bit nervous. Suddenly, the rug grew in length, turning into a long, ragged hood. It then opened, revealing a laughing skeleton with a large scythe. "N-no…"

"You see… Your friend is Death itself!" Dracula said. Pelleas felt nauseous, remembering the kiss between them, but these feelings quickly turned to sadness. "With Death on my side, let's see how long you live until he claims your soul." Suddenly, Virgil jumped over Christiano to Death's side. He hissed at Christiano.

"Virgil, you too?"

"He is also under my influence. It's time to die, Belmont," Dracula said, smiling.

Death moved around the room, trying to confuse Christiano.

"Carnicus… You can't be… Please, listen to me! You must not let Dracula's curse do this to you!" Christiano cried. Suddenly, Death threw some sickles, which spun around in the air, heading for Christiano. Christiano was cut across the arms and legs, letting out a cry of pain.

"Christiano!" Pelleas cried. Death then disappeared. Suddenly, out of a portal on the floor, Death flew upward, swinging his blade. Christiano, though in pain, dodged the attack, as Death disappeared into another portal. Death then came out of a portal in the air, Christiano falling down on his back to avoid Death's attack again. Death disappeared into a portal and then reappeared in front of Dracula, laughing. Christiano got to his feet, looking quite upset.

"How could you let him do this to you, Carnicus?" Christiano said, approaching him. Death swung his scythe, Christiano back-flipping out of the way. Then, Death threw his scythe, it turning into a razor sharp disc. Christiano barely escaped this attack, the scythe returning to Death's hands. Christiano then began to throw vials of holy water at him, it barely having any effect. Christiano threw them until he only had enough to sip. Then, he threw his cross, which was also not very effective. Christiano then jumped into the air, using his golden cross attack, but it only gave Death a chance to smack Christiano with the handle of his scythe. Christiano was sent flying, but he got up again.

"If I can't purify your spirit… then I must—" Pelleas reluctantly enchanted Christiano's whip from afar. His eyes were at the floor. "Thank you, Pelleas…" Christiano whispered.

Death's attacks were fairly slow, so Christiano took advantage of that and hit him with his whip. He even used the chandelier to swing on and attack. As powerful as Death's attack was, he couldn't keep up with Christiano. Eventually, Death dropped his scythe and grabbed Christiano by the neck, beginning to choke him. Christiano dropped his whip. Christiano looked at Death, wondering if Carnicus was really going to squeeze the life out of him.

"C-Carnicus… Please…" Christiano said, face turning red. Pelleas used his lightning bolt attack, but nothing happened. "Carnicus…" Christiano's eyes closed and suddenly, his limbs dropped. Death stopped, dropping his body onto the ground.

"CHRISTIANO!" Pelleas screamed, running over to him. Pelleas slid and sat on his knees, lifting Christiano's head onto his lap. "CHRISTIANO! CHRISTIANO!" Pelleas cried, tears forming in his eyes.

"The Belmont line has ended here. It's time for you to die as well, dark prince," Dracula said, approaching them. Pelleas then noticed that breath was still escaping Christiano's lips. Pelleas quirked a brow. Suddenly, Death grabbed Dracula, holding him in the air.

"What are you doing, Death?!" Dracula said, struggling to get free. Christiano woke up, seeing Pelleas.

"Oh thank god!" Pelleas cried. "Christiano! Death—I mean, Carnicus—has turned on Dracula! You need to destroy him now!"

"But what about Carnicus?!" Christiano said, straining his voice a bit. Pelleas shook his head. Christiano swallowed hard and shakily got to his feet. He then held up his whip with both hands and closed his eyes.

"Whip of alchemy, stained by the virgin's blood, please put this spirit to rest, who has rejected his humanity…" Christiano said, his whip beginning to glow. Dracula's eyes widened.

"No! I will not die!" Dracula cried. Dracula escaped Death's grasp. He began to transform into a large demon, but then Death swung his scythe, impaling Dracula and himself, holding them together. Christiano's eyes opened. He then began to swing the glowing whip around, its movements forming the Belmont's seal in the air. "Dracula… BEGONE!" And with that, bright white energy shot from the seal straight into Dracula. Dracula let out a scream as the whole room filled with light…

Once the light disappeared, Dracula was crawling towards his coffin, covered in blood. He got inside and the coffin exploded into blood. Death fell to the ground, transforming back into Carnicus. Christiano rushed over to him.

"Carnicus! Please be alive!" Christiano said, tears in his eyes. Carnicus lifted his head up.

"I am… I can never die… I'm Death, remember?" Carnicus answered.

"No! I don't believe it! You are free of Dracula's curse now!"

"No… Nothing is. His castle will rise again someday… and I will be there with him…"

"Carnicus, please, come with us! Let's leave this place! You can come back with me to Venice!"

"No… My fate is to remain here, with him… I only hope… I will not forget who I am completely and try to destroy the Belmonts of the future…" Christiano ignored his words and picked Carnicus up, but he began to fade away.

"No! No! NO!" Christiano cried. Carnicus reached up to rest a bloody hand on his face.

"Don't look at me like that. I want to remember you smiling, okay?" Carnicus said, smiling at him. Christiano struggled to smile, tears falling onto Carnicus' cheeks. Pelleas rushed over, looking upset as well. "We'll all see each other someday. That I know."

"I suppose…" Christiano said, his smile growing. Carnicus closed his eyes and then disappeared completely, Christiano's tears falling into his own bloody hands. Christiano looked stunned.

Just then, the entire place began to rumble.

"Virgil! Come!" Pelleas cried. Virgil stared at him and then ran off, disappearing. Pelleas was shocked. "The castle! It's falling apart! We must get out of here!" Pelleas cried. Christiano didn't move. "Christiano! Come on!" He used his strength to yank him up and run, pulling him along.

They ran down stairs, going from floor to floor, until parts of the ceiling fell and blocked the way. Pelleas looked around, looking nervous now. Christiano looked around and saw a stained glass window. He pulled Pelleas and without any warning, jumped out the window, the glass shattering around them. They fell and jumped from piece to piece of the castle to make their way to the ground. The world around them began to fade into the city of Milan. They got away as far as they could, into the woods, and watched the entire castle crumble to the ground.

Christiano fell to his knees, exhausted and emotionally drained.

"C-Carnicus…" he whispered.

"He was good after all…" Pelleas said, frowning hard. "I wish I hadn't gotten so jealous... In the castle, we were starting to become friends. He and I even—we kissed…" Pelleas said, wiping at his eyes. "I wondered what it would be like if—"

"Me too…" Christiano said, his eyes turning back from white to yellow to brown. Christiano watched the last tower fall, his tears escaping him…

Pelleas was leaning on Christiano, sleeping, as they rode in a carriage. Christiano had drawn Dracula and Death quickly, but then began to draw the Carnicus, Pelleas, and himself drinking with Virgil at the table.

" _Dracula has been defeated. He is a curse to all of humanity. I could write about how he attacked me, but I am utterly disgusted with him…_

 _Death was actually Carnicus all along. Dracula had put a curse on him to serve him forever. Death uses a scythe, just like Carnicus does. What he does is unworldly, but perhaps it's because he's from another world altogether. When he was Carnicus, I… I loved him. And I want to believe he loved me. Even as Death, he helped me defeat Dracula, when he could have easily killed me. Now, he and I are separated, but I feel that when I die, we will see each other again._

 _Pelleas told me that Virgil ran off, so he has disappeared with the castle. Perhaps he was from that world. Perhaps Virgil was our guide all along. Carnicus was really fond of him and ultimately, they were bonded to each other under Dracula's curse. He does not belong in this world, nor does Virgil, I suppose…_

 _Pelleas definitely grew stronger within the walls of Dracula's castle. He can enchant weapons with electricity and according to Carnicus, has quite a mastery over dark energy itself. I hope he will never have to use it again, especially since he is going to live with me from now on in Venice…"_

Christiano looked over at Pelleas.

" _I will probably never have any children. I plan to spend the rest of my life with Pelleas. A sinful life, but a happy one too."_

…The two of them arrived at Noah Belmont's mansion and told him everything. Christiano handed him the Vampire Killer and the book with all of his entries in it.

"Thanks to you, Dracula will not rise until a hundred years from now, plenty of time for my children, and children's children to send him back to Hell," Noah said.

"Yes…" Christiano said, sounding down still.

"I still cannot believe what happened to Carnicus. I'm sorry. And I suppose I won't be seeing Virgil ever again." Christiano shook his head.

"Well, the weather has been nice lately. Dry, so roads aren't difficult to travel along…"

"I bid you farewell, Noah. Please, never stop writing me letters," Christiano said, gently patting his shoulder. Noah smiled.

"Have a beautiful life together."

…Pelleas was holding a basket full of burgundy grapes. He approached Christiano, who was playing his harp on the back porch. He sat down next to him, resting the basket on his lap.

"They said that it's going to be a good year," Pelleas said, smiling as he looked out at the horizon.

"I think so too," Christiano said. He continued to play. "I wrote a song for Carnicus."

"Oh? You did? I would like to hear it," Pelleas said, setting the basket on the ground. He folded his hands in his lap.

A figure in a red cloak stood up among the grapes in the field, standing over one of Christiano's servants, who died. The figure walked over to Christiano and Pelleas, listening to Christiano play. He took off his hood, his long red hair free. Carnicus stood there, listening. Suddenly, one of the strings snapped.

"Oh, no…" Christiano said, letting out a sigh.

"It's okay. Do you want to go buy another one tomorrow?" Pelleas asked.

"I suppose so." Christiano said, looking out at the grape field. He then spotted his dead servant. "Pelleas! Quick! I think one of my servants has passed out!" Pelleas stood up and went ahead. Christiano got up and ran through Carnicus as if he was no more than a ghost. Carnicus turned and watched them run off.


End file.
